Black Echo
by DiscordianSamba
Summary: The codename Paikaru- that was what would become the warning shot that would trigger a cat and mouse game played between detective and Black Organization member. With the former having never once doubted the latter, and the latter working to keep it that way, not wanting to destroy the unexpected friendship that has blossomed between them, the search for the one, ugly truth is on.
1. A Litany of Regrets

**AN** : Hooo boy this story. This started off just being a speculative oneshot that I wrote, that I put in my oneshot collection, _The Beika Periodicals_. What's more it's a speculative oneshot that was inspired by a very different type of blackorg!Heiji story that I was already writing, _Phantasmal Black_. And then I got attached to this idea as well, because it takes the concept in such a different direction than the aforementioned story, and I began to mentally play with the idea more and more and more.

And that's how we end up like a month or so later with this once oneshot turned into a proper story idea in it's own right, and one that I am looking very forward to working on, like uh, all of my other fanfics. Why do I put this child of mine through so much anyways? That is a question that I cannot answer. Anyways, with that all out of the way, I hope that everyone enjoys the work that I'm about to present to you! The original oneshot is here, though I've done some revising since I wrote it the first time, and there's an entirely new part added on at the end to bring us into a story proper.

Please don't forget to leave a review!

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 **Black Echo**

 **Chapter One**

 **A Litany of Regrets**

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In reality, he knew it was only a matter of time before someone caught up to him. This wasn't a situation that could continue forever.

He had thought many times about bringing it to an end himself, in one form or fashion. Most of such ideas involved properly discussing the matter with the one who had become his friend before he even realized it. The famed detective of the east, who had been forced to disappear from the spotlight in order to protect his own life- and more importantly, the lives of those around him. Sometimes he worried that Kudo Shinichi didn't value his own life as much as he should, but it was exactly that kind of selfless nature that had impressed him in the first place.

Were he any different, the situation might have already ended long ago, and he'd have been the one to do it. Kudo Shinichi would have truly vanished from this world, his actions against the mysterious group known only to him as the Black Organization cut short before he could even truly raise a hand against them, before he'd even caught the faintest hint of their trail.

Instead, he'd lived, to strike several decisive blows against them, counterattacking them every time they thought they had backed him into a corner, all while not revealing the truth of his existence to them. It was incredible, really. Even as the boy gained more and more allies, he never stopped thinking five, ten steps ahead, prepared for any possible scenario that could be thrown at him, and throwing together plans in the blink of an eye for the ones that had managed to escaped him.

As clever as he was, he wasn't omnipotent.

He'd never once doubted him from the start, after all.

It was a bit hilarious, really, considering that the first time he'd met him, he'd brought along with him what he had thought at the time was a clear warning sign of his true nature. It was ironic, really. Never in a million years would he have suspected that the very liqueur his codename had been taken from would have been the key to begin unlocking the mystery behind the mysterious poison the boy had been fed on that fateful night that caused him to disappear, forced to live a lie, hiding from the world, pretending to be nothing more than a slightly smart first grade student by the name of Edogawa Conan.

Kazuha would have surely said that it was a sign. Heiji still viewed it as lucky coincidence.

He'd thought many times of bringing this whole farce to an end. Of speaking up, of saying something, of revealing his betrayal to his friend. But each time, he missed his chance. Each time, he couldn't say those words. And each time, it got harder and harder to say anything, as the two of them grew closer and closer. He wasn't exactly sure when it was that they had become such close friends, but it had happened before either of them was even aware of it. From that point on, there was nothing that could be done to stop it.

And as Edogawa Conan- no, Kudo Shinichi, got deeper and deeper into the mystery of those clad in black, as he gained more and more allies, and the stakes became higher and higher, it became nigh impossible to tell him the truth. Too much time had passed, he'd become too close to him. What would it do to him at this point? He'd never questioned his loyalty from the start, not even in the millions of scenarios that he played out in his head, planning out strategies well in advance to counteract each one.

Out of all the scenarios that he considered, the fact that Hattori Heiji might be a member of the Organization was not one of them. It had never been one of them. In fact he was pretty certain that Kudo would be _offended_ on his behalf if someone so much as tried to tell him the truth.

As if it were a bad joke.

It wasn't by choice, not really. If he could go back now and change the past, he would have accepted the consequences of what would have followed that incident. He would have braced himself for the ensuing firestorm, for watching his dream fall apart in front of him, for the truth to spread far and wide. It was a better, kinder truth than the one he hid inside of himself now, though at the time, it had been the worst possible truth. It wasn't like he could blame his past self though. His reaction to what had happened, and everything that followed, was still understandable to him even now.

It had happened back in late middle school, when he'd just started gaining a reputation for himself as a detective, when he started getting attention from the local media. He'd reveled in it then, an excited grin on his face, happy that he was starting to be doing something he'd always dreamed of doing. He'd never admit to it, but it was his father who had inspired him to become a detective in the first place- he had admired him quite a deal when he was a child, and wanted to become someone like him. And now, case by case, he was living that very dream, developing a reputation for himself as a brilliant young detective, one that held much promise for the future.

So when he'd learned that he bore no blood relation to his father at all, nor to his mother, he'd naturally been shocked. What kind of people he _did_ bear blood relation to was what had nearly destroyed him. There were cracks, forming, all around him, threatening to shatter the world that he'd built for himself, to destroy everything. In the back of his mind, he was well aware that this was probably blackmail, watching as the pretty reporter twice his age almost gloated about the documents that she had in her hands, all the proof that she needed to release a rather scandalous story, the kind of thing the media would have eaten up, the kind of thing he'd never be able to escape from.

One that would not only surely destroy his own dream- but might take his father down with it. His father, who he admired, even if he never said that much, never spoke such words aloud, who had taken in the orphaned, unwitting baby son of murderers out of a sense of pity and duty, who had taken him in because his wife was still distressed after losing her fourth child, who was almost catatonic with despair after the doctors told her that her life could be on the line if she attempted to have another. His father, who had brought him into his own home, and raised him as his own child, and never once questioned the sort of person he'd grow up to be, in spite of knowing his origins far better than he did himself.

It had been an accident, really.

In all of her gloating, she never noticed that she'd taken a wrong step. When she lost her footing, he'd even tried to help her, to keep her from falling- but he didn't react fast enough, didn't reach out his hand quick enough. Her head broke open on the bottom step, painting the area around where she fell a vivid red, blooming like a brilliant flower. It was an instant death, nothing could have been done about it, nothing could have saved her.

It _had_ been an accident.

But with those papers in her bag, he already knew that the world wouldn't view it as one. He _should_ have done the right thing back then- but hell, what kind of fifteen year old was going to be thinking straight after the news he'd gotten? Certainly not _him_ , given how overly prone to emotion and impulsive action he still was to this day. Kudo might have been able to do the right thing, steadfast and prepared for anything that might have happened afterwards.

But fifteen year old Hattori Heiji? Not a chance.

It wasn't until he was already home that he realized he'd taken her papers and her recording device with him. That he'd left her there, in a pool of her own blood, without so much as calling the police. He'd been in a daze, really, not that that was much of an excuse. Really, none of it was an excuse for anything. What his reasons were really didn't matter- it didn't matter that the Organization had found out about the incident, it didn't matter that they had used that information to blackmail him, it didn't matter that they eventually came to whisper threats of what would happen to those around him if he tried to leave them, their gazes fixed on the one person that Heiji knew that he could never stand to lose, even as his heart gradually became something twisted.

None of that mattered anymore, none of that changed anything. Too much had been done.

Talent, prospect, and _location_. Those were the three key reasons that they had their eyes on him in the first place. If they begun at a young enough age, they could mold him into one of them before he knew it, becoming a splendid raven himself.

And he really had.

By the time he crossed paths with the one known as Kudo Shinichi, he already felt that this fate was something that he couldn't escape from. By that time, he'd already been given a codename, had already sunk himself deeply into that Organization. The smiling face of Hattori Heiji was slowly becoming something of a mask, his real nature straying further and further away from that of who he had been before. He'd done too much, said too much, knew too many things. Slowly, bit by bit, piece by piece, he really was becoming the one they had come to call Paikaru.

It wasn't all bad, really. Not everything that they used him for was horrible, as loathe as he was to admit it. He was talented with languages, as it turned out, and there was usually very little that was objectionable about serving as a translator. He purposefully began to study more and more languages for that reason, before he knew it becoming fluent in any number of languages, so many that he nearly lost count at times. It came naturally to him- he was a proper polyglot, really, and they used him for that with great zeal.

The other reason behind his pursuit of language was, of course, so that if the day ever came, he could disappear to almost anywhere in the world. As much as he saw no exit for himself now, that didn't prevent him from planning ahead, thinking up ways to vanish, to go where they couldn't reach. Their organization was international, but it wasn't omnipresent- there were any number of third world countries he could vanish into if he needed to, so long as he could speak the language.

Should that day ever come, the worst possible scenario would have already played out. Heiji could only hope that it would _never_ happen.

But when it was bad, it was bad. Even worse was the fact that he was becoming increasingly numb to it all. Even after meeting Kudo, even after changing for the better, there was still a certain sense of numbness that lingered, an indifference to the things he'd done, the things he was capable of doing without so much as batting an eye which only managed to heighten his guilt.

His reputation as a high school detective and his connections to his father made him the perfect candidate to help root out and chase down traitors within the Organization, be they members, or those who the Organization had blackmailed who were now trying to seek help. He was the perfect person to get close to those people- and the perfect person to betray them. On good days, all he had to do was lure them somewhere, and his job ended there.

On bad days? The Organization had taught him any number of skills, skills which he had on more than a few occasions, put to use.

Given that he'd been sent on a mission to investigate Kudo Shinichi, and to determine if he had really died after being given the experimental poison, Apotoxin, he honestly didn't know _why_ he hadn't said anything when the supposedly dead high school detective himself had suddenly shown up at the crime scene. He'd jokingly wondered if it were perhaps love at first sight, but given the way he'd been so awed by him, the way that he had been so entirely against Heiji's expectations, maybe that wasn't so far off after all.

Whatever the case, he said nothing at the time, biting his tongue and burying the truth from those who asked. He'd seen nothing, he'd heard nothing. As far as he knew, Kudo Shinichi was still dead, given the way he'd all but disappeared after giving his deduction, almost like a ghost. There was still a mystery there, still a hint of something that needed to be solved- and so Heiji continued to chase the scent, as much for himself as for the Organization now.

He was curious. Curious about the one that the papers had dubbed the high school detective of the east, his rival. In truth, he'd already long since beaten Heiji, and all he'd needed to do was not stay in that bright world of his.

It was that scent that drew him to the meeting of Holmes fans, and although he was disappointed to not find Kudo there as he expected, he nevertheless _did_ find some familiar faces- the Mouri family and their young, curious ward. A ward that became more and more curious after a murder happened before his very eyes, as the investigation proceeded and he began to notice him more and more, seeing in him an echo of the one he'd been sent to track down.

 _"Yer Kudo, aren't ya?"_

Edogawa Conan and Kudo Shinichi were one and the same.

This was the very answer that he had been sent to find, and though it was one that sounded absurd on his lips, it was the truth. He'd heard that much from the boy himself, knowing at once exactly what the Organization he spoke of was. And yet, even so, he still didn't say anything, pretending he'd seen nothing, he'd heard nothing, he knew nothing.

It probably wasn't until he met him next that he began to understand _why_. Being a detective had once been his childhood dream, but even though he'd been gaining praise right and left for his deductive abilities, that dream had lost it's luster. There was no spark, no passion behind it. No joy at having correctly identified a culprit, nothing. The Organization wanted him to polish his skills, seeing great promise in that area one day, and with that knowledge weighing on his mind, the appeal of chasing a mystery had slowly begun to wane.

Kudo Shinichi was the spark that brought it all back, lighting up his world in a way that it hadn't been for a long time. He hadn't even realized how deeply he was drowning in black until he came into his life, slowly bringing color back into it. Suddenly, there was excitement again- working together with him to solve the mystery at that mansion had unlocked something within his heart, something that he thought long buried.

And he was more grateful for it than Kudo would ever know.

And yet, at the same time, it made everything all the harder.

 _"Hattori- have you... have you ever killed someone?"_

There was no way he could ever tell him the answer to the question that had managed to catch him so off guard was _yes_.

Kudo would tell him about it later- what had prompted him to ask that question, how he was still haunted by what had happened on Tsukikage Island. How he couldn't save the culprit, couldn't prevent them from committing suicide, letting their body be consumed in flames, heading on to join the rest of their long departed family. How he cursed his tiny body, how he was certain that he could have done more had he realized sooner, had he not gotten so caught up in his deduction.

How he couldn't prevent a woman named Miyano Akemi from being killed by the Organization. How he had gotten there too late.

He hadn't noticed the way that Heiji had swallowed at the mention of it. He'd already heard about that incident himself. Something about the woman wanting to free her sister from them- a girl scientist not much older than he was by the name of Sherry. He'd never met her, but he knew her reputation- and he knew full well that she was the one who had developed the poison that had caused Kudo to shrink in the first place.

Poison that he happened to have himself. Poison that he couldn't think of a way to give to Kudo without revealing everything. Poison that he wanted to hand over to him, poison that he fantasized that would make Kudo forgive him for everything if he gave it to him, but knew that he wouldn't. If anything, it would probably just make everything worse.

Heiji never thought he'd be able to become the kind of person who would take a bullet in order to keep someone from killing themselves. Maybe it was Kudo who changed him, or maybe that had been in him all along, and he'd just managed to forget it as he slowly became someone he wasn't. In that ambulance, as those gathered worried that he wouldn't survive, he almost wondered what he'd done to deserve any of that.

Of course, none of them knew. None of them knew who he was, what he'd done.

Especially not Kazuha. _Never_ Kazuha. He never wanted her to know what type of person he'd become, how he'd strayed so far away from the bright world where she lived and thrived. How he wasn't certain if he could ever quite make it back there. He tried to push her away sometimes, but she would always push back, invading his life like she never had any intention of leaving it, no matter what he said to her. They were linked by bonds of steel, she'd say- strong, unbreakable chains that held them fast to each other even long after they had been removed.

Maybe it was good for him. Whenever he thought he was at risk of falling too far, she was there for him, holding out her hand, a bright smile on her face. Before he had met Kudo, she had been Hattori Heiji's only lifeline, bringing him out even when he was certain that the smiling, quick tempered teenager had ceased to exist. When he was with her, he could forget, as if in a dream. She'd probably saved him more times than she realized, and not just because of her lucky charm, which sometimes felt like a lead weight around his neck whenever she hung it there, fussing about him having left it behind again.

He didn't deserve something like that.

When he realized he was in love with her, he had sworn considerably in every language that he knew- a rather impressive litany, all told. Of all the things that he hadn't planned for, developing romantic feelings for _anyone_ \- much less his childhood friend, who he treasured so much _already_ \- was right up there on the top of the list. He was so convinced that he didn't have that in him, that he didn't even notice his own feelings for her until it was far too late. They'd already taken root.

 _"What the hell are ya doin' to my Kazuha!?"_

As if he had any right to say something like that. As if he had any right to fret and worry about how to confess to her, how to top Kudo's confession and blow her away. As if he had any right to so much as be anywhere _near_ her.

Because even as Hattori Heiji continued to assist Kudo Shinichi whenever he asked for it, Paikaru still continued to work for the Black Organization, always holding his silence, but never objecting to any of the missions that they handed to him. He didn't have that privilege, acting against their interest as he was. If he hesitated, they'd know. No matter what happened, he had to play out his role perfectly.

On one occasion it had lead him to come to meet Kudo, the smiling mask of Paikaru firmly in place, wearing it so well that the shrunken detective couldn't even tell. He wasn't certain how he felt about that. Maybe he'd hoped that everything would have blown up in his face back then- but he hadn't so much as even batted an eye, never once questioning him.

Go investigate the mysterious woman who has started snooping around us, they'd said. An English teacher by the name of Jodie Saintemillion, who apparently taught at Ran's school. Go and confirm if she's really with the FBI like we suspect she is. It wasn't as if it was his intention to approach Kudo with this mission in mind, that Professor had merely just happened to call around then. But the fact still remained that he'd taken the chance provided him without a second thought, effortlessly acting as both friend and foe without anyone noticing.

He really was a better liar than people gave him credit for. Being a wonderful liar while acting as a terrible one was a piece of Paikaru's mask he could never fully take off.

 _"Isn't there one? A strange, foreign woman around you."_

The suggestion had slipped naturally out of his lips. The best method of approaching the woman involved using the fact that he was one of Edogawa Conan's friends to his advantage, to get close to her without her so much as suspecting a thing. She would never second guess one of 'Cool Kid's' friends, and she never had.

He'd _used_ Kudo. He felt awful about it, sure, but even so, he hadn't thought twice about it. Heiji wondered sometimes if he would have done it differently today, and then decided not to dwell on it, afraid of what the answer might be.

Guilt had already become a familiar friend to him at that point. Everything would have been so easy for Kudo if he could just be honest with him and confess that he knew far more about the Black Organization than he had been letting on- of course he did, he was one of them. One of those same people that he despised, one of the ones who had torn him away from his normal life, had forced him into hiding, had changed everything.

Maybe it wasn't hopeless, though. He'd seen the way that he treated that Haibara girl, that girl that he knew had once been Sherry. Of course he knew who she was- searching for traitors was part of what he did. More than anything else, it was what he was most known for in the Organization. Paikaru was one of the codenames those who betrayed the Organization feared the most, though most of them had no idea that he hadn't even so much as graduated high school yet, most not having a face to attach to the name. Suffice to say he knew everything about her. It wasn't hard to recognize her face, just ten years younger, given what he already knew Apotoxin could do.

Maybe he _wouldn't_ hate him after all if he knew the truth, wouldn't cast him out as a traitor. Maybe he'd even try to help him. Would _apologize_ to him for not noticing anything for so long, for letting him struggle so long on his own.

But the difference between him and Sherry was the fact that Sherry _hadn't_ been working for the Organization all along. She'd run away from them, betrayed them outright, and that was why that old man Gin was looking for her with such fervor. As much as she blamed herself for creating that poison, she had no blood on her hands, much as she seemed to be convinced otherwise. She wasn't the one running around and using it, after all.

When he'd first met her, Heiji almost felt his heart skip a beat, feeling as if this surely would be the end of everything. And yet, strangely enough, she didn't react to him at all, didn't even so much as bat an eye at him. Like Kudo, she never once questioned him, never once suspected that he might have any connection to the people she was trying to run away from.

He probably had Kudo to thank for that.

Acting as Paikaru had become all to easy for him over time. It was something that was ceasing to be a mask, one he wore to survive, starting to become his real face. Meeting Kudo changed all of that, turning Paikaru once more back into a mask, one that he could still slip on effortlessly, but one that he didn't wear easily any longer. If it was Kazuha who kept him grounded throughout all those years, it was Kudo who helped turn him back into the person he once was, before any of this had begun.

And if that brought with it an overwhelming sense of guilt and a deep sense of remorse for everything that he had done, a burden that he would have to live with for the rest of his life, then that was fine. For the first time in a long time, he found himself wanting to truly just be Hattori Heiji again, the high school detective of the west, Kudo Shinichi's rival and best friend. He wanted nothing more than to cast aside the still necessary mask of Paikaru, to fully embrace the hotblooded, sometimes reckless, often impulsive detective that had earned him so much criticism from the likes of his fellow high school detectives.

 _"I guess they call such a person an 'unqualified detective'."_

It was that case that really helped him come to understand just how much he'd changed. It _was_ true that he was an unqualified detective, but it was hardly his hotblooded nature that marked him as such. If anything, that was an improvement- he'd taken it to heart more than Kudo had realized, when he quietly spoke words of support for him. He didn't deserve them, honestly, but it still made him happy to know that his friend really did value his skills as a detective.

They couldn't know. They could never know. He'd drag this secret to his grave if he could.

Sometimes he'd forget that he carried that mask at all. But blissful as such times were, they would never last that long. There was always something that reminded him.

Truthfully, he thought his death sentence would come after that night on the haunted ship. He'd been half tempted to tell Kudo that he couldn't help him, but he knew that after coming this far with him, he couldn't abandon him like that. His friend needed him, and _damn it_ , if there was something that he could do to help him, then consequences be damned, he would. Whatever happened after that would happen, he thought, making as many arrangements in secret as he could, before he arrived in Beika.

The mask he wore that night was a very literal one indeed, for a night allowing him to become none other than the one he'd come to value so deeply, the one he wanted to protect even as he lied to him.

He probably never would have gotten through the aftermath without Vermouth, ironically enough. Not only did she know about Kudo, it seemed as if she had long since known about him- and for whatever reason, she found it amusing, and had decided to say nothing. So when he had lied and told Vodka that he had decided to impersonate Kudo Shinichi in hopes of drawing out information about him, hoping to learn if he was truly dead, Vermouth had been the one to happily supply that she had been the one who had instructed him to do so. There was a look in her eyes that he knew, one that told him that she owed him a considerable favor now, and that she one day expected it to be paid in full.

She held her tongue, and he held his.

There were still whispers after that, of course, but they had been settled when Paikaru carried out his next mission without hesitation. After the quite literal mask he'd worn on that ship, he slipped on the metaphorical mask once more, shifting from hot to cool. There was a man who they believed was at risk of betraying them to Interpol that needed to be taken care of- as well as his contact with him. He'd holed himself up in a certain hotel, and wouldn't come out for anyone, waiting for a contact that he had in Interpol to arrive.

When they both finally came out of the hotel, Paikaru had long since been waiting. It was finished within two shots, before anyone knew what had happened. He'd spent two days staking out the hotel, and it had been over in an instant. Packing his bag, concealing the rifle within a guitar case, he'd effortlessly slipped back into the crowd, blending amongst everyone long before they had been able to figure out where the sniper had shot from. Even as a familiar pair of Tokyo MPD officers hurried past him, he slipped by them without them even so much as recognizing Hattori Heiji underneath Paikaru's mask.

This too, was something the Organization had taught him.

 _"He'll be scary in the future."_

Kazuha's father had said that in regards to his deductive abilities, but if he had never ended up crossing paths with Kudo, that very much well might have been true in a way that the man saying them never would have expected. In a few more years, he might have completely lost himself to the Organization, and it would be _Hattori Heiji_ that would become the mask, not Paikaru. It terrified him to think about now.

When Kudo stopped contacting him about the Black Organization, Heiji feared the worst. That he had realized his secret without him having to say anything, had finally learned the truth that he had been hiding from him all this time. But when he suddenly called him out of the blue one day to talk about a mysterious female detective who had appeared with questions about Kudo Shinichi on her lips, he breathed something of a sigh of relief.

The guilt only managed to grow, especially once he realized that the reason Kudo had suddenly started keeping him out of affairs dealing with the Organization wasn't because he didn't trust him, but because he had come to value him so much that he didn't want to put him at risk. He'd become someone so important to Kudo, that he'd become someone that he wanted to protect, to keep safe from their reach. It was touching, moving- and it also made him feel like the worst person alive.

Because he _still_ couldn't bring himself to say anything. At this point, it was already impossible. His overbearing sense of guilt, and his fear of destroying his friendship with this person who had changed him for the better, who had dragged him out that black abyss, forever sealed his lips.

Any illusions that he might have about Kudo forgiving him were long gone now. Too much time had already passed, too many things had gone unsaid.

He wondered how much trouble Kudo might have avoided if he'd just told him everything that he knew. He already knew who Bourbon was, it was part of why he'd been trying very hard to avoid crossing paths with the young man named Amuro Tooru- they'd already met, in entirely different circumstances, using entirely different names. If he crossed paths with him as Hattori Heiji, and he came to learn that he'd been aiding those chasing the ravens all this time, he knew that it wouldn't end well.

He admittedly _hadn't_ known that Bourbon was a mole, working for the secret police. Although he refused to involve Heiji while he was still looking into the matter, he _did_ tell him a number of things afterwards- though he'd skipped over the identity of the mysterious young man living in his real house. Heiji was able to guess who he was anyways, judging from the intelligence he'd gotten from the Organization itself. They'd never crossed paths while he was undercover in the Organization, thank god, Heiji had still been a novice without a codename then- but he'd more than heard of him.

FBI investigator, Akai Shuichi. What Gin would have given for that kind of information. This too, would be something that Heiji would take to his grave, alongside the location of Sherry, and alongside the true identity of Edogawa Conan. Hell, he'd take Bourbon's true identity with him to the grave as well, and he honestly wasn't even quite sure if he even _liked_ the guy. He'd _definitely_ use it to blackmail him into silence if it ever came to that, though.

There was always a sense of worry that manifested in him every time he visited Kudo. Even as he joked with him, even as he worked to solve cases with him, even as they interacted as best friend and rivals, he always wondered when the day was that he'd hear his own codename roll off of his lips. That he had caught a whisper, a rumor, of an Organization member with that codename who worked out of Osaka. One who hunted traitors, one who was fluent in more languages than he could count on both hands, one who was regarded as a budding detective.

One that he wanted Heiji's help in catching.

What would he tell him then? The truth?

 _"Ya already caught 'im long ago, Kudo, he's right here. He's me."_

No, he couldn't say that. If anything, he'd work against him, trying to keep him from finding out for as long as possible. It might be a fruitless effort- whenever Kudo finally managed to drag the Organization down, the truth would probably emerge in the fallout. Disappearing might not be a bad idea after that.

The bad thing about having become a better person was that he was _certain_ that nobody would forgive him for the things that he had done, because he sure as hell didn't forgive _himself_. And he wasn't certain if he could handle that. There was still plenty of good stuff in the world he could do to try and balance it out, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to disappear once the Organization fell, once the truth came out, and try to pick up his life somewhere else, becoming someone else once more.

Most of all he didn't want to see the looks in their eyes when they realized the truth. Not Kudo, not Kazuha, not his mother, and certainly not his _father_.

What face would be the easiest to give them when they did? Would the answer change depending on who he was dealing with? Hattori Heiji's, racked with guilt, full of apologies but no excuses- excuses were meaningless when weighed against the things he'd done. Or the mask of Paikaru, the liar, the one who could wear a smile even as everything went to hell around him, who could act like this had all been part of one long con to ensure his own survival as everything fell apart.

Provided he even had a _choice_ , that is. It was his second worst fear- crossing paths with Kudo when he was working as Paikaru, in a situation that he couldn't explain himself out of. He hadn't noticed anything the one time they'd met when he was wearing that metaphorical mask- but he'd also been Paikaru acting as Hattori Heiji at the time. Should a situation arise where they crossed paths as detective and Black Organization member, Heiji knew full well there would be nothing he could do to stop Kudo from realizing the truth- and he'd have to watch him do it.

But even that would be better than what would happen if the _Organization_ learned the truth. He wasn't so much worried about his own life- he knew the ins and outs of how they hunted traitors like the back of his hand, it was part of his job after all. Disappearing would be a simple matter. Rather, it was the lives of those he would leave behind- he could only hope that vanishing into the ether would be enough to cause the Organization to leave them be.

One day, _someone_ would catch up to him.

And honestly, Heiji prayed that it would be Kudo.

* * *

"What's up, Kudo?"

Honestly, of all the times for his phone to ring. And of course, the person on the other end of his phone _had_ to be none other than the person he'd ended up calling his best friend.

"As it turns out, Uncle, Ran, and I ended up in Osaka today for a case he was working on. It just wrapped up a minute ago, so Ran was saying that she wanted to stop by your place, Hattori." Conan's voice on the other end of the phone finished his sentence with a slight sigh. "So I thought I would give you a call and let you know. Some of us _like_ giving people warning when they come visit."

"Ah, over ta my place?" Heiji asked, a slight frown crossing his features. "I'm afraid that's no good, Kudo. I'm actually not home right now. I'm out workin' on a case myself."

"Eh, is that so?" He could almost hear Conan blink over the phone. "Figures. The one time we try and take _you_ by surprise, you aren't even home. When will you be getting back?"

"Not fer awhile at least. I'm out of the city at the moment." Heiji told him. "Well, when are ya leavin'? Tonight? Tomorrow? If it's tomorrow, then maybe..." He paused then, considering his words for a moment. "Well, maybe around tomorrow evenin', at the very least."

"We're leaving tomorrow afternoon." Conan responded. "Looks like we might miss each other this time."

"That figures." With a slight laugh, Heiji shook his head. "Well, you an' Neechan can still go over ta Kazuha's place an' visit her at the very least. I didn't bring her with me this time, an' I'm sure she's dyin' ta see Neechan again, with no nues involved. Do ya know her address?"

"No, I don't think so." Conan said. "What kind of case is it that you're working on, Hattori?"

"Ah, it's nothin' important. I can handle it plenty well on my own." Heiji told him with a quick grin. "Anyways, I'll shoot ya Kazuha's address once I hang up, okay? It would be a waste fer the two of ya ta come all the way out ta Osaka an' not be able to visit either of us. The two of us will just have ta make plans fer some other time."

"I suppose that's true. Well, visiting Kazuha as opposed to you might actually be more interesting, anyways." Conan responded, letting out a slight laugh at the grumble he could hear his friend make from the other end of the phone. "I'm just kidding, Hattori. We'll make plans later."

"We'd better. _Honestly_ , sometimes I feel like my generous friendship with ya isn't appreciated as it should be." With a slight grumble, Heiji nevertheless let a hint of a smile cross his face. "Well, I have ta get back ta my case, but I'll call ya later, Kudo."

"Right. Don't forget to send that address, Hattori." Conan added, almost as an afterthought. He knew how distracted Heiji could get from time to time. "Then, I'll call you later."

At the sound of the firm click of the person on other end of the line hanging up, Heiji let out a slight sigh, pulling his phone away from his ear. With one gloved hand- he only had one free at the moment, after all- he carefully shot a mail off to him, sending him Kazuha's home address, before shooting Kazuha a message that the two of them were coming for a visit. With that all sorted out, he finally tucked his phone back away, remembering to turn it off this time.

And turned his attention back towards the matter at hand.

"Sorry, sorry." That bright smile on his face was completely out of place for this situation, he knew. He hadn't quite flipped his switch back over again. "That was a friend of mine. He worries if ya don't pick up when he calls, so I had no choice. Now then," Reaching down to remove the tape he'd hurriedly slapped over the man's face, he ripped it off in one fell swoop, all while not moving the pistol that had occupied his dominant hand the entire time from his head. "Where were we, Kawano-han?"

"I'm not going to get out of here alive after hearing that, am I?" The man slowly asked, gauging the reaction of the person in front of him. Out of all the people to come after him, he would never in a million years suspect that this teenage boy was one of their number- and it was a mistake that had cost him dearly.

He hadn't quite expected that the young man that had just spent the better part of the hour interrogating him would suddenly answer a personal phone call with a friend, seeming to flip a switch from the person he'd been just a second ago, acting as if he was someone else. That friendly, easygoing persona that he'd suddenly taken on had only managed to send a chill down his spine, as he watched just how _easy_ it was for him to switch from the cold, yet still smiling one he'd been acting as just a second earlier. He'd tried to call for help, of course, but with his own sock stripped off and shoved into his mouth, and his mouth taped shut, such a thing was impossible.

Not that anyone would ever believe that the famous high school detective, Hattori Heiji, was doing such a thing. He half didn't believe it himself, and he was the one with the gun trained on his head.

"Nah, sorry about that." Flashing him what almost seemed to be an apologetic smile, it lasted only for a second- before he finally flipped the switch again, metaphorical mask sliding right back in place, as if it had never left him. With a cold look in his eyes, the one known as Paikaru released the safety on his gun, looking down that man nearly twice his age. "I don't suppose ya want ta finish what you were sayin' earlier, anyways?"

"Not a chance."

"That's what I thought." With a slight shrug of his shoulders, and a practiced indifference, Paikaru pulled the trigger. He'd feel remorse for the action later, but it wasn't as if he could let the guy live, not after that phone call he'd overheard. Well, granted, he wasn't planning on letting him live in the first place, but he'd been planning on turning him over, rather than doing it himself. "An' it was goin' so well, too. Well, whatever. It's not like it's goin' ta be that long before I find the rest of yer friends, given how poorly ya were hidin' yerself."

Ironically enough, he'd actually found himself in Tokyo that afternoon. While he was far from his rival's usual stomping grounds, it was amusing to think that they were walking around each other's hometowns like this, all while the other was nowhere around. Perhaps that was for the best, though. The circumstances that had brought him to Tokyo that day were far less than ideal, he thought to himself, carefully checking the dead man over, pulling out anything that could be used to identify him, and throwing it back into his own bag. He still had a lot of work to do, after all, he couldn't just linger around here. There were two more people he had to head off, after all.

Remorse would come later, once his work was taken care of, once the mask fell, once the switch was flipped. It was better than when it had never come at all for him- that was something that meeting and befriending the likes of Kudo Shinichi had brought back to him. However painful it was, he felt that it was a good thing to have. It meant that he wasn't a total monster, that there was still something good left within him, that he hadn't totally lost himself to the mask he was wearing.

He'd been heading down that path before, and he never wanted that again. _Never again_.

Zipping up his bag, and slinging it over his shoulder, the one who now went by the alias of Paikaru twitched up the hood of his black jacket, allowing it to shadow his face. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a cellphone- a different one than before, one that connected to different people, shooting off a message for someone to come clean up the mess that he'd made.

For the moment, all other thoughts would be put aside, as he opened up the door, stepping out into the bright afternoon sun. He had work to do- and the faster he did it, the sooner he could go back to being just Hattori Heiji again.

Well, not just. Never just, however much he'd come to want that lately. Not until the day came when the Organization's remains were swept away, the mighty empire having fallen. It would happen some day- and he didn't doubt that it would be Kudo who would be the one to do it.

The only question that remained was where he would be standing when everything was over. Because at some point, this truth he'd been working to conceal all this time was bound to come to light.

It was just a question of _when_.


	2. Codename

AN: And here's the second chapter! I hope everyone enjoys, and I thank you all for reading! There wasn't much feedback on the first chapter though, which was a bit disappointing, so maybe remember to leave a review if you have the chance? I'd really appreciate it!

Until next time!

* * *

 **Black Echo**

 **Chapter Two**

 **Codename**

* * *

"You know, when I said we'd make plans to see each other, I had hoped you'd include _me_ in making said plans, Hattori."

At Heiji's wide grin and amused chuckle, Conan could only heave a long, exasperated sigh. He wasn't sure _why_ he had expected anything else from him, really- he already knew full well that telling people that he was coming was something Heiji was terrible at. Still, of all the places to find him, he didn't expect it would be at the professor's house, having made himself at home on the couch, chatting freely with Ai.

"I was the one who asked him to come here, actually." Ai noted, only sparing Conan the slightest of glances, before she cut short her prior conversation with Heiji. Something about cat cafes, he couldn't help but note. "Do you bring what I asked for?"

"Sure did!" With a bright grin, Heiji leaned down to unzip the bag that was resting at his feet, pulling out a bottle of a liqueur that had come to be somewhat familiar to Conan, placing it on the table in front of Ai. "One bottle of this stuff fer yer science experiments, little Neechan."

"You asked Hattori to bring you booze?" Conan couldn't help but ask, taking a seat. What a surreal scene- what looked for all the world like a grade school student asking a high school student to bring them Chinese wine. Knowing him, Heiji probably hadn't even thought twice about it.

"Oh? I'm certain you recognize exactly what this is, Kudo-kun." Ai said lightly, taking the bottle in her own hands, and nodding her head. "If I send the Professor out to buy it, he comes home with fancy wine that we can't really afford in addition. I recalled that Hattori-kun was the one who had brought it to your attention in the first place, so I decided to ask him."

"That's right, that's right, I did!" A broad grin flashed on Heiji's face, as he turned his gaze over towards Conan, an amused looking dancing in those eyes. "Really, ya should be grateful ta me, Kudo. Without me, ya might have never found that first piece of the puzzle at all."

"We would have figured it out eventually." Conan retorted, casting a glance at the bottle of Paikaru as Ai set it back on the table. He assumed that she needed it for some experiments regarding Apotoxin- it wasn't really that hard to guess. "Besides, what kind of teenager carries Chinese wine around with him anyways? Much less feeds it to seven year olds as a cure for colds."

"Me." Heiji replied simply, the barbs on Conan's words failing to sink into him. "Well, it's fine, isn't it? I got ta meet big Kudo, an' through that, the two of us became best buds!"

"I don't remember ever calling you that." Conan dryly noted.

Placing his hand against his chest, as if an arrow had pierced his heart, Heiji cast Ai a forlorn look. "Ya see? Ya see how this guy treats me, after everythin' I've done for him? Yer cold, Kudo."

"He certainly is." Ai noted, barely affected by the dirty look that Conan sent her way. As Heiji let out a loud yawn, she arched her brows. "A long night, Hattori-kun?"

"Yeah, somethin' like that." Heiji told her, blinking sleep out of his eyes. "Some woman killed her husband, an' left one hell of an elaborate red herrin' trail behind. I was up all night untanglin' that mess. I'd be impressed, if she hadn't decided to kill her husband at _one in the mornin_ '. Well anyways, don't worry about me, little Neechan, I'm more than used ta dealin' with sleepless nights."

At least he wasn't lying about what he'd been doing this time, Heiji thought to himself, slowly blinking the edge of exhaustion out of his eyes. When he'd gotten a call from the one who was calling herself Haibara Ai now out of blue, he'd briefly had a panic attack- especially when he heard her asking for _Paikaru_. It took him a moment to realize that she was asking for the literal _drink_ , at which point, he'd calmed his racing heart, and had quickly agreed to help her.

The irony of his namesake alcohol being what had helped them begin to create an antidote, if only just a temporary one, was not lost on him. Some people would say it was a sign- that this was something that was meant to be, that it was a hint that perhaps this was the place that he belonged all along, even if he'd taken several wrong turns in the course of getting there. Some might even go so far as to say it was fate. Heiji didn't believe in such things, of course, and just thought it was pure lucky chance that it had turned out this way.

 _Best friends_ , though, huh. As easily as the words rolled off his lips, in reality, he knew that he had no right to speak them. After all, no matter what he did to help him out, it didn't change the fact that he was one of the very same people that Kudo so reviled- and that he had been lying to him all this time, and had no intention of ever telling him the truth. Not at this point, not after all this time. It'd come out someday, and everything would likely come crashing down around him when it did, but until that day came, Heiji wanted to cling to their friendship for as long as he could.

It was selfish, he knew that much. But Kudo had helped guide him back towards the path he'd strayed from- and even if he couldn't ever truly return to it, being close enough to touch it was good enough for him. He supposed that if he really _was_ grateful to him, he'd open up to him and admit the truth, and tell him everything he knew, but that was already impossible. It wasn't logic governing his actions, after all.

"Would you care for some coffee, then?" Ai asked, rising to her feet. "I was just about to make some for myself, actually."

"Oh thank ya!" Flashing her a bright grin, Heiji gave her a quick nod of his head. "I'd appreciate it. By the way Kudo, since I'm here an' all, do ya got any other plans? I've shown ya around Osaka plenty now, but ya've barely ever returned the favor. Why don't ya show me around Tokyo fer a change?"

"Now that you mention it." Conan blinked, a slight frown crossing his features. "Well, I didn't have anything else planned for today, so I don't really mind. When do you need to head back to Osaka?"

"Probably before the last train, at the very least. Which still gives us plenty of time." Heiji noted, briefly glancing down at his watch. "Ya wanna come with us, little Neechan?"

"My name is _Haibara Ai_." Ai noted, sparing him a brief glance. "And no, I've got plenty to occupy myself with today, so my schedule is quite full. Besides, I wouldn't want to interrupt your bonding time."

"Oh, well that's mighty polite of ya!" Heiji told her, beaming from ear to ear, glancing over towards Conan as he did so, who simply rolled his eyes in response. "Yer really nice, ya know!"

Watching as she blinked slightly at his words, unaccustomed to being described as _nice_ , Ai quickly turned her head away. Busying herself with the coffee in lieu of giving him a reply, Heiji couldn't help but watch her curiously as she pulled out a stool, using it to give herself a slight boost so that she could easily reach up to the counter.

The Organization's missing member, the traitor, the brilliant female researcher who went by the codename of Sherry. He had never met her in person before this, of course- and thank goodness too. But he'd read her files, of course he had. Although tracking down Sherry seemed to be something that Gin wanted to do himself, they had been passed on to him after she had escaped from the Organization. Tracking her down had never been a formal mission given to him, which was for the best, but he'd recognized her right away in the elementary school girl that had joined that Detective Boys group that always hung around Kudo. Probably nobody would believe him if he told them that she had been shrunken down into the form of a seven year old girl, one so small that she needed to use a footstool just to reach the counter. Not that he was ever going to _tell_ anyone, of course- he'd take her secret, and that of Kudo's own, to his grave, if necessary.

Which was a _very real possibility_ , all things considered. He was playing a dangerous game here- what had started out as just being Kudo's secret had grown, and before he knew it, he was hiding more information from the Organization than he ever could have imagined that he would have. The true identity of Edogawa Conan, the location of Sherry, the fact that the FBI investigator that Gin so reviled was still alive, the true identity of Kir, and the true identity of Bourbon- each of these would be secrets that he would take with him, never so much speaking a word, no matter what kind of tactic they used against him.

If he couldn't escape this life on his own, then at the very least, he would do what he could against them. And for the moment, that was holding his silence.

"By the way, Hattori." Conan spoke up, catching his attention. "Why _exactly_ did you bring that bottle of Paikaru with you the first time we met?"

Blinking a little at the question, Heiji gave him a quick laugh. "Well, I thought I would give it to yer folks as a gift, but it turned out that they were livin' in America. So I ended up bringin' it ta that uncle's detective agency instead, an' gave it ta him." He told him with a shrug. "Still funny how that all worked out, though."

Well, that wasn't the actual reason. Frankly, he'd meant it as a _warning_. In the event that Kudo Shinichi really was alive, like his investigation had been leading him to suspect that it was, he'd intended it as a message, a silent threat to him that the Organization's eyes were falling back on him, that they had picked up his scent. He had never picked it up as one in the end, and that was probably for the best. At this point, it would be bad if ever realized it for what it was. It would open up a _whole lot_ of questions that Heiji didn't feel like answering.

"I heard from the Professor once that he stole the bottle later on, and got himself drunk trying to turn back into his real self." Ai noted, sliding a cup of coffee across the table. "And was quite hung over the next morning."

"Don't tell him something like that, Haibara!" His cheeks turning a brilliant shade of crimson, Conan spared a brief glance over in Heiji's direction- which he instantly regretted, taking in that leering grin of his. God, of all the things he didn't want Heiji to know about, that was _probably_ number one on the list. When had the professor even told Ai about that in the first place? The next time he saw the man, he was going to have some _words_ with him. "It's not that funny. I thought that was my ticket to going back to _normal_ , at the time."

"What are ya talkin' about?" Heiji asked, taking a sip of his coffee. "A kid who looks like he's about seven gettin' drunk off his ass is _hilarious_."

"Do you want me to show you around Tokyo or not, Hattori?" Conan dryly asked, a threat leveled in his gaze.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. Don't get so mad at me, Kudo!" Heiji was quick to apologize. That said, he _was_ going to treasure that mental image for as long as he lived. "I'm just teasin' ya."

"Honestly. It's like I get no respect from you at all sometimes." Conan grumbled, before his gaze darted over towards Ai. "From the _both_ of you, really." That was probably the one thing the pair of them actually had in common. Really, they were an even _odder_ combination than Ai and Kogoro had made that one time.

"Now, now, now, there's no need ta be testy." Gulping down his coffee in one go, with a quick grin, Heiji all but sprung to his feet. "What are we wastin' time here fer when there's plenty of things ya need ta show me, Kudo? Let's go, let's go!"

"Alright already." Grumbling for an entirely different reason now, Conan got out of his chair, heaving a long sigh. "What are you anyways, Hattori, an overexcited puppy?"

"Yes." Came Heiji's rather blunt answer, his friend's attempt at teasing him rolling off him like it didn't even matter. "Anyways, we'll see ya later, little Neechan. Let me know if ya need any more booze!"

"That's not something you should _encourage_." Conan remarked dryly, falling into step by Heiji. At least for all of his teasing, he would often shorten his pace to accommodate him, though he was certain he wasn't aware it was something that he was actually doing in the first place. "Anyways, Haibara, give me a call if you find anything new out."

"I will, though I doubt it." Ai noted dryly, carefully picking up the bottle of Paikaru in her hands. It was only after the pair had left, the firm click of the door closing behind them confirming it, that Ai allowed her gaze to drift down towards it, her eyes narrowing somewhat. She never quite missed the irony of the first key to all of this, what had allowed her to escape a tricky situation with Pisco and Gin before, was this alcohol she currently held in her hands.

There was, after all, an Organization member with the codename of Paikaru. She'd never met him in person- most people involved in the Organization hadn't, keeping his identity a secret was important for his line of work. But she _had_ heard of his reputation- and although she imagined the one most focused on tracking her down was none other than Gin herself, she didn't doubt that even now, Paikaru was out there looking for her, keeping his eyes open. She had considered bringing it up once before- at least, she had, until she recalled the fact that the Organization member in question had an Osakan accent.

She'd rather _avoid_ getting people unrelated to this whole affair involved. It was enough already that Conan had asked his friend, much as he trusted him with his secret, to help him on _that night_ , during that showdown with Vermouth, to help him out. She didn't care for when he involved the professor in the past either. The FBI was fine, she supposed- that was their job, after all, and it was good that he'd started working with them, even if she wished he didn't do so many things behind her back, without telling her. She didn't think lack of trust was so much the reason, as it was something else, but it nevertheless chafed at her.

So she'd rather avoid telling Conan about Paikaru's existence if she could help it. She hadn't noticed any traces of him near her, at the very least. What she did know for certain was that if Conan knew about him, he'd doubtlessly once more turn back to that other high school detective for help- considering that Osaka was his home ground, and he knew it considerably better than either of them. She might not have cause to know Heiji all that well, but given how he hadn't even thought twice about coming all the way here just to bring her a bottle of Paikaru that she needed for her experiments, she knew full well that he'd leap at any chance to help.

And still, vaguely, there was always something about Heiji that _bothered_ her. She wasn't quite certain what it was, really. She knew full well that Conan had intended to lock her up in the basement to prevent her from escaping on that night, to prevent her from tracking him down- and Vermouth as well. But that lock had been forced open, and she had found it easy to get out. Even the spare pair of tracking glasses was exactly where she had left it, untouched.

That, she suspected, was something Heiji had a hand in. She didn't know why- she'd never asked him. They weren't that close, after all. Frankly, she'd been more than a little flabbergasted when Conan told her that there was someone outside of his parents and the professor that knew about his secret, and that had furthermore figured it out all on his own. She'd actually been somewhat apprehensive about meeting this Hattori Heiji at first, not quite knowing what to expect from him.

In retrospect, after having actually met the guy, her worries seemed quite silly. He had gone so far as to (badly) dress himself up as Kudo Shinichi in order to protect Conan's secret. It was a wholly unnecessary effort as Shinichi himself was there that night, but it was nevertheless noted. She really had very few doubts in her mind that he was a good person.

Still, there was always _something_ , at the back of her mind, that troubled her. And there were times when she would _very much_ like to establish what it was.

There were times, also, when she got the feeling that she'd be better off not knowing.

* * *

"When did you get to Tokyo, Hattori-kun?"

From the bright smile on Ran's face, as well as the way her gaze was darting around, it wasn't hard to guess that the person she was really looking for upon having spotted the Osakan high school detective was none other than Kazuha. When she didn't seem to find her, she turned back towards Heiji with a slight frown on her features, one that somewhat dampened her excitement to see him.

Well, she always _was_ closer to Kazuha, after all.

"If yer lookin' fer Kazuha, she didn't come with me this time." Heiji told her, giving her an easy grin even as her face fell slightly. "Well, ya didn't get ta see me the last time the two of ya were in Osaka, so consider it makin' up fer lost time. But ta answer yer question, I got here about an' hour or two ago, an' this kid's been showin' me around ever since. But what a coincidence to run into ya here, Neechan!"

"It really is, isn't it?" Ran asked. Well, it was a bit disappointing that she wouldn't be able to see Kazuha today, but Heiji was right- they had missed him the last time, and she'd found herself almost just as disappointed back then. "But I thought you were going to play over at the professor's house today, Conan-kun."

"Ah, I called him!" Heiji said quickly, eyes glancing down towards the not-child. If Ran learned that they had met at said professor's place, then she'd doubtlessly wonder what Heiji was doing there- and there was no way he could tell her he was delivering a bottle of Chinese wine to a _seven year old girl_. She'd been miffed at him that time he'd given some of the stuff to Conan, there's no way she'd let it go if she learned something like _that_. "An' he agreed ta meet up with me just like that! Change of plans, ya know?"

"I see!" Ran said with a nod of her head, a bright smile on her face. "Well, this is good timing, really. I was just about to go and meet my father. He's out investigating a case right now, and it appears that he forget his wallet. I thought he might a little bit troubled without it, so..."

"Uncle really can be careless sometimes, right?" Conan asked, all but perking up at the mention of a case. There hadn't been any such news when he'd left the detective agency earlier, so it must have just come up. "What kind of case is it?"

"Hm, I didn't really pay too much attention to the details, but it's a possible arson murder case." Ran said, a slight frown crossing her face as she tried to recall the phone call her father had gotten. "Well, it might also be some kind of elaborate suicide, but the police really don't know yet. Apparently they've been investigating it for the past week or so. That's why they called dad. You should come as well, Hattori-kun, since you're here!"

"Arson murder?" Heiji asked, tilting his head slightly, unable to help but get a slightly bad feeling about this. "Sure, I don't really have a problem with that. Whereabouts?"

As Ran rattled off the location, Heiji had to fight to keep his expression from shifting. He'd been doing this sort of thing for quite some time now, but this would mark the first time he would have been called to investigate- so to speak, since he wasn't directly invited by the police himself, the scene of one of his _own_ crimes. He was usually pretty good at avoiding that sort of thing.

Alright, well, he hadn't set the place on _fire_ \- that he had _nothing_ to do with. But he'd _definitely_ killed that guy. Sparing a brief glance down towards Conan, who already had that look on his face that Heiji had come to know well- the one he wore whenever he caught the scent of a case- he knew that there would be no way to work himself out of this. After all, _he_ was the one who had said earlier that he was free until the last train left. In other words, if he tried to refuse to go check it out with them, he'd only raise suspicion, and that was the last thing that he wanted.

Well, it wasn't as if he'd left any traces behind in the first place, so he really didn't have anything to fear there. The main problem was that he got the feeling that Kudo would most likely be able to pick up on their scent- while being unaware that he was standing right next to the one who had left it behind in the first place. Honestly, he really was the _worst_ kind of friend.

"We can go check it out, right, Heiji-niichan?" Conan asked, glancing up at him, unaware of the thoughts churning through his mind. It would be _a lot_ more interesting than giving Heiji the grand tour of Tokyo, at any rate.

"Of course!" Flashing him a smile, Heiji nodded his head. "I'm slightly curious about this too. Ah, but I really _do_ have ta get back by the last train, or my mom will get pretty pissed with me, so I can only stay around until then." At the very least, he could use that as an excuse to eventually make an exit for himself- it wasn't like he could solve a murder he'd committed himself, after all.

Man, not only was he a horrible friend, he was also a complete failure of a detective.

 _And_ there was that sharp pang of remorse again. Good. It was nice to know even a week or so after the fact, he was still feeling _something_. Probably not as much as he should be feeling, really, but after being numb to this sort of thing for far too long, it was good to have some kind of feelings rise up inside of him.

"Then, I'll keep an eye on the time for you, Hattori-kun." Ran offered, knowing full well that Heiji tended to lose track of time when investigating a case.

"Oh thanks, Neechan!" Turning his grin towards her, Heiji nodded his head. "Then, let's go then! I bet I'll really surprise that Uncle when I turn up with ya!"

* * *

Admittedly given the circumstances, perhaps Heiji _shouldn't_ have been so amused to see himself proven right- but he would have been lying if the flabbergasted look that crossed Mouri Kogoro's face hadn't given him some form of delight. Especially when it was followed by the usual disgruntled grumbling from the so-called great detective. Well, perhaps it was for the best. His sense of humor was one of those things he'd rather not lose. It was always nice to see it in good working order.

The corpse- or what remained of it, probably not a whole lot judging from the fact that the police were still having a tough time identifying it, had already long since been taken away, leaving behind only the small storage shed where the body had been found, blackened and warped from the fire that had spread through it. They had found a gun in the man's hand, as well as a discarded lighter. The flames had made it rather difficult to determine if the gun in the man's hand had actually been used to shoot himself (it hadn't) and if the lighter had actually been used to start the fire (probably, but not by the man), leaving the police something at a loss.

"It's a rather dramatic way ta kill yerself, if that's what this really is." Heiji mumbled for the sake of the curious not-child by his side. From where he was crouched next to Conan, he watched as he tried to fit the pieces of the case together, eyes narrowed in deep thought as he shifted through what he knew, and what he could see with his own eyes. "It would help if we knew who the guy was in the first place."

"Yeah." Conan barely glanced at Heiji as he spoke, still deeply lost in his own thoughts. "There's something I don't like about this, Hattori."

There it was, almost as if right on cue. "Like what? Ya think it's really a murder?" Heiji asked, feeling a sharp twist in his gut as the question left his lips. Of course it was. And incidentally, he knew who the corpse belonged to full well. Gun smugglers, who had gotten too ahead of themselves, and had started trying to work with groups beyond the Organization- and that was something that they couldn't have. As for the man's two associates, he frankly didn't have any idea what had happened to them after he'd turned them both over towards the Organization- but he doubted they were alive.

"Something like that." Conan said, nodding his head. It was his instinct, more than anything else. If you were going to shoot yourself in the head, what was the point of setting everything on fire on top of that? Was there some reason? Or had the fire just been used as a cover for everything else? "Maybe it had something to do with the yakuza, or maybe..."

At the way Conan went silent, his brow furrowing, Heiji knew full well what link he was trying to make right now. It was during times like this that it was the most difficult to keep up his act, to watch his friend puzzle something out that he already had the answers to- but there was no way he could tell him the truth. Besides, there were more important members of the Organization that Conan could spend his time chasing other than his own shadow, he didn't need to waste his time on him.

Not that he could tell him that, of course. Thinking back on it, he couldn't help but curse his past self for not spilling everything to him right towards the start. It would have fractured their budding relationship to be sure, but if he'd spilled the beans before the two of them had _really_ gotten close, then maybe everything would have worked out in the end. The bite of betrayal would be shallow, and Heiji could have ended up helping him out much more actively in all the ensuing cases.

Granted, there were things that even he didn't know- he _hadn't_ known Kir was CIA, and he hadn't known Bourbon was secret police. That was new information to him- and boy did it ever make his occasional brushes with Kir all the more awkward after that. They'd met, from time to time, more often than he'd crossed paths with Bourbon. He had been genuinely shocked when he heard that someone was looking for Mizunashi Rena after she had gone missing, someone who wasn't with the Organization, but his reaction to the news that she was one of them was all an act.

The louder you blurt something out in surprise, the less people doubt it.

"Or maybe?" Heiji asked, glancing behind him before turning back to look at Conan, dropping his voice. There were limits to playing dumb, before you started to seem a bit suspicious. "Ya don't think it's _them_ , do ya? Ya know, those guys who made ya tiny in the first place."

"It's possible." Conan mused, putting a hand to his chin. "This _does_ seem like something they would do. Like you mentioned, it would be easier if we knew who the victim was in the first place, but..."

"There's not much we can do there if even the police can't identify him, huh?" Heiji asked, all the while mentally apologizing to his friend, because he'd taken all of his identification and set it on fire himself. Well, there wasn't much that could be gained from chasing this man's lead anyways, not after he was dead, at least. The Organization would have already covered all of their connections with him by this point. It would only waste time. "But Kudo, if it really _is_ those guys, then isn't it dangerous ta let that uncle stay involved in this? Not ta mention Neechan might get mixed up in it."

Kogoro, bless his predictably, had been insisting that it _must_ have been a suicide the entire time. For once, Heiji wasn't about to dispute it, even if it did somehow still strangely chafe at him. This whole situation was surreal and uncomfortable, and he couldn't help but feel eyes on him every time he turned away from the police- though he knew he was only imagining them. They only saw him as a high school detective, one who butted his way into far too many cases in Tokyo than they apparently cared for- especially that Inspector. He didn't want to be found out by Kudo, but he wanted to be found out by the police all the less.

Hattori Heiji really _would_ have to disappear then, and not quite of his own choosing. One thing he wanted to _avoid_ was becoming Paikaru full time. If the police or the FBI were to find out the truth before Kudo did, if the truth only became something that leaked down to him later... well, Heiji didn't even want to imagine what the ensuing confrontation would be like, of which there would be one, he was sure.

Not that they would, he thought. If he could hide all of this from his father, there was no way in hell anyone else was going to pick up on it anytime soon. Honestly, it was half a miracle his old man had never noticed anything- though there was also something about that that made his skin crawl. There was a viper in his nest leaking information about Osaka's police, and it was closer than Hattori Heizo could ever imagine.

Forget being a horrible friend, and a failure of a detective, he was a downright _shitty_ son.

"You're probably right." Conan's gaze trailed towards Kogoro, giving the man a considering look. He had already had a rather close call with the men in black, so he'd rather avoid something like that happening again if he could help it. And the last thing he wanted was for Ran to get mixed up with everything as a result of that- or for him to be the one responsible for her father's death. Neither of those were things that he wanted, and both of them were very real possibilities. As much as he hated a crime going officially unsolved... maybe it would be for the best if the police didn't question this crime too much.

He'd bring it up with Subaru and Jodie though, that much was for sure. If this really was their work, then the FBI was a much safer bet to discuss the matter with. Especially when he factored in the chance that Rum really could be involved with the police somehow.

"Yer gonna keep diggin' though, aren't ya, Kudo?" Heiji asked, feeling his mask straining as he asked the question. He had a bad feeling that things were about to get very busy for him, very soon. That it wouldn't be long now until the shadow that his friend was chasing was that of his own.

"Of course I am. What kind of question even is that, Hattori?" Casting a dry look towards him, Conan almost snorted. "If there's a chance those guys are related to this, then this isn't something I'm going to pass up. You're the same way, aren't you?"

"That's right." Heiji freely admitted, scratching the back of his head, before casting him a quick smile, all the while disgusted with himself for lying so easily to someone he valued so much. Even if that was why he was lying to him in the first place. "Ya know ya can always call on me if ya need help right?"

"I know." Conan told him. In truth, he'd rather not get Heiji mixed up with those guys again. Involving him that one time had been dicey, and while it had worked out well, he didn't want to make him do something like that again. Since then he'd come to understand even more just how dangerous those guys were. If given the option now, he would have never used it. "Thanks, Hattori."

"Ya've got nothin' ta thank me for, Kudo."

Because really, he didn't.

* * *

The fact that this child was involved so deeply with this investigation to the point of bringing them potential leads no longer really surprised the FBI investigator. No, rather what surprised them the most was the fact that they were the one that Edogawa Conan had turned to with this matter.

After all, he knew exactly where to find Akai Shuichi, and Jodie would freely admit that of the two of them, he was definitely all the more skilled. Perhaps then it was her easy access to resources, seeing as Shu was technically dead, that had caused him to approach her in regards to the mysterious case. Or perhaps he just wanted to cover all of his bases, and had already spoken to, or was going to speak to Shu- or rather, _Okiya Subaru_ as he was known now. It was still sort of surreal to think about, really.

"You're certainly right, Conan-kun." Jodie mused, careful eyes studying the information that he'd brought her. "This does sound like something that they would do, although it's not that much to go off of. I suppose the police still haven't identified the body?"

"No." Conan said, shaking his head. "Apparently it was heavily damaged by the fire, so there's not really much left to identify. They tried dental records, but..."

"They hit a dead end there." Jodie finished for him, letting out a long breath as she set down the paper she was reading. "Well, it's certainly something worth investigating. Did the police close the case as a suicide?"

"Yeah, thanks to Uncle Kogoro." Conan told her. It chafed at him, knowing that the culprit was getting away- but it was alright. They'd definitely catch their tail, and bring them to justice. And perhaps this time, they could actually use them to gain information on the shadowy Organization as a whole- it had been a bust in the case of Kir, who had turned out to really be CIA.

She had her own value, but Conan didn't want to put her in more danger than she already was by contacting her about every little thing. They had sent her back into that hell that had taken her father from her, he couldn't put her in even more danger beyond that. She wasn't like Bourbon, who had elected to be there- she was only supposed to be involved with them temporarily. She had been working as desperately as she could since then.

"I see." Jodie said, her brow furrowing. For a moment, she spared a curious glance over towards the child who was sitting next to her. As loathe as she would be to involve any other child into their investigations, she knew full well that this was not just _any_ child. She had so many questions about the boy, so many that she knew that he would never answer. How could a mere child think ahead so far that he'd been able to not only save Shu's life, but also help him arrange a false identity? Not to mention crafting a plan to shake Bourbon off said false identity's tail in the first place.

Whatever Edogawa Conan was, it was no mere child- Jodie knew that much, at the very least. Beyond that, she didn't have any answers. In reality, it wasn't nearly as important as it was to catch those guys and put a stop to whatever it was that they were planning, to solve the vast mystery that existed just slightly beyond her grasp. And Conan had proved himself time and time again to be a valuable ally in doing just that- so she wasn't about to start chasing him away and asking him too many questions that he didn't want to answer now.

There would come a time when she might learn the truth, but until such a time came, she had other things to focus on.

"Well, I'll pass the matter on to my boss, Conan-kun. We haven't heard too much about their activity recently, but I doubt it's because they're being quiet." Jodie observed, gathering up the materials that he had brought with him. She couldn't help but wonder how he had gotten them in the first place, really. Even if he did live with the Sleeping Kogoro, that didn't really explain things. "Can we keep these?"

"You can." Conan told her, nodding his head. "That's why I brought them, after all. Will you let me know if you find anything?"

Jodie paused for a moment, half wanting to tell him no- however smart he was, he _was_ still a child. Still, she got the feeling he'd worm his way into the investigation anyways, even if she had turned him down- and she had to admit, the Bureau owed him quite a bit. At least this way she could more or less keep track of the kid.

"Very well, Conan-kun." Jodie said after a moment, rising to her feet. "Then, since you came all the way out to my apartment, how about I treat you to lunch? I wasn't able to take you and your friend out to eat the time the two of you came here last, after all."

"I'm just surprised you remember that." Conan couldn't help but admit, the offer catching him slightly off guard. The last time he had been to Jodie's apartment was when he'd come here with Heiji, trying to establish who the mysterious foreign woman who had suddenly appeared really was. It had been quite some time since then. "I guess I'll take you up on that offer then, Jodie-sensei. Ah, but let me call Ran-neechan first, okay?"

"That's fine. I wouldn't want her to worry." Jodie said lightly. Well, if that girl had any idea about half the things her young ward involved himself in, she probably would consider investing in one of those child leashes.

Because whatever the truth behind Edogawa Conan was, one thing was crystal clear- that he was _very_ deeply involved with this whole affair. And what's more, if she didn't miss her bet, it was also personal.

Because if there was one thing Jodie knew _all_ about, it was personal vendettas dictating your path in life.


	3. Crows and Dogs

AN: The third chapter is finally here! The story starts moving with this chapter, so I hope everyone looks forward to it! I've got some pretty interesting developments in store! Anyways, thanks for reading as always, and please leave a review if you can!

Until next time!

* * *

 **Black Echo**

 **Chapter Three**

 **Crows and Dogs  
**

* * *

Heiji didn't truly relax until after he'd returned home, finally allowing a long breath to escape from his lips. Lying back on his bed and staring up at the ceiling, Heiji closed his eyes, for the briefest of moments, feeling as if he could still see that cold, calculating look in Kudo's eyes, cast in miniature on Conan's face. One that he really hoped would never be directed towards him, silently praying that this development wouldn't have Kudo chasing his shadow.

Paikaru's shadow, really, but they were one and the same, so it's not like there was much of a difference.

God, how did he manage to get into this mess in the first place? Life was so much easier back in early middle school, before he'd gotten mixed up in this whole mess. Back when he was just a kid who earnestly wanted to be a detective, nothing more and nothing less. The first time he'd crossed paths with Kudo, though he hadn't realized it was him until years later, when the person in question had told him that much, he wasn't carrying these kinds of things with him.

How nice it would be if that was still the case. By the time they finally met again, the situation had changed.

At least nobody was home today, allowing him to have some vital space to himself. His father was out working a case somewhere, and his mother was visiting a friend up in Hokkaido. Normally Heiji wasn't one to care for peace and quiet all that much- it was usually _too_ peaceful and _too_ quiet, but there were exceptions, times when he really appreciated it- and now was one of them.

Vaguely, he could almost feel the traces of a noose closing in around his neck, and he could only pray that it was his imagination. Granted, if there was anyone that he wanted to catch up with him, it would be Kudo, rather than anyone else in the world. Definitely not his father, definitely not the police or the FBI, and _most definitely_ not the Organization itself. It was bad enough that Vermouth was fully aware of what he was doing, but so long as she held whatever interest it was that she had in Kudo, she probably wouldn't say anything. She still hadn't asked for him to return that favor of hers, and he was dreading getting that phone call one day.

But above all else, above anyone else, the person he wanted to find out about all of this the least was-

" _Heiji_!"

Almost grumbling a little at the sound of the girl in question's voice, Heiji got to his feet, glowering in the direction of the front door. Of course she would show up right as he was thinking about her, not even bothering to knock or ring the doorbell. But well, it wasn't like he was any different, really. He did the same thing all the time, ever since they were kids. They would just barge into each other's houses without a single care in the world.

"What do ya want, Kazuha?" Heiji asked, sliding the door to his room open, stepping out into the hall. As she turned towards him, a bright smile crossing her face, his gaze fell downwards, for a moment, unable to actually look at it. In doing so, he took notice of the fact that she was wearing oven mitts, and was carrying what appeared to be piping hot leftovers, still in the pot. "Oh, are those fer me?"

"Yeah, mom said ta bring them over to ya." Kazuha told him, carefully making her way down the hall. "Since both Uncle Heizo an' Auntie Shizuka are out tonight, she was worried that ya weren't gonna feed yerself properly. It's curry tonight!"

"Oh, thank ya!" A bright smile flashed across Heiji's face, feeling his stomach growl a little bit- come to think of it, he hadn't actually eaten anything since this afternoon. He was starting to get a little bit hungry. "That really helps me, Kazuha. Thank yer mom fer me later."

"I'll be sure ta." Kazuha said, carefully pushing past him and making her way into the kitchen, setting down her burden on the stove, finally pulling off her oven mitts, tucking them under one arm. "By the way, Heiji, I tried ta come over this afternoon, but ya weren't around. Were ya out today?"

"Yeah, I went down ta Tokyo fer awhile." Heiji told her.

"Tokyo?" Kazuha blinked, before narrowing her eyes, a slightly cross expression crossing her face. "Don't tell me that ya went ta hang out with Conan-kun an' Ran-chan without me, Heiji?"

"Well, I went ta hang out with Conan-kun." Heiji told her frankly, shrugging his shoulders. "I only ran into Neechan by accident, though. Don't look at me like that, Kazuha! I had other stuff ta do there anyways, so I thought I might as well drop by an' see the kid! Besides, ya got ta hang out with the both of them the last time they were in Osaka by yerself!"

"Well that might be true, but that was just because of yer lousy timin', Heiji." Kazuha told him, folding her arms in front of her chest. "Honestly, leavin' Osaka on a case just before they came over ta visit, an' only showin' back up after they had already left. Yer lucky I was here so I could still show the two of them a good time!"

"It couldn't be helped!" Heiji grumbled, narrowing his eyes. He had _tried_ to make it back quickly enough to meet them, and would have made it too, were it not for the fact that he had to stop and dispose of certain things he didn't _dare_ bring into his own house. "I had a case, a case! It's not like I could just turn them down. Besides, how was I supposed ta know those two would show up in Osaka then? I'm not a mind reader, Kazuha."

"Well that much is transparently obvious." Kazuha noted dryly, briefly locking eyes with him- before heaving a long sigh. "Honestly. Ya go out ta work on some weird case, an' then ya don't even bother tellin' me about it when ya get back. How rare fer ya, mister glory hound."

"Who's a glory hound?" Heiji asked, quirking a brow. "Ya don't need ta know everythin' about all of the cases I work on in the first place. Yer the one who keeps draggin' herself along with me ta begin with anyways. Nobody ever _asks_ ya ta come along."

Well, it wasn't as if he could have brought Kazuha with him on that 'case' anyways. Not when it was a job not meant for Hattori Heiji, high school detective of the west, but for Paikaru, who might as well be a dog for the Organization. The further he kept Kazuha away from that part of his life, the safer she was- and her safety, probably more than anyone else's, was his number one concern.

"How can ya say somethin' like that when ya would have tumbled over that cliff without me there?" Kazuha asked, placing her hands on her hips, leveling her gaze with his.

"Idiot, we _both_ just ended up fallin' off that damn cliff instead." Heiji pointed out, a stray finger trailing to the scar that her arrow had left on the back of his hand, giving it a vague itch. There was always the gut churning thought in the back of his head that if he'd been left to develop unchecked, Paikaru probably would have abandoned Kazuha as if she were nothing- and he could only hope that much wasn't true. "Really, yer more trouble than yer worth sometimes, Kazuha."

"I could say the same thing about you, Heiji!" Puffing out her cheeks slightly, Kazuha finally heaved a long sigh, giving him a slight smile. "Well, so long as ya always come back home, I guess I can let ya run off every once in awhile by yerself. How did it go in Tokyo? Ya didn't run into any trouble, did ya?"

If she had to be perfectly honest, one of the reasons Kazuha kept bringing herself along on cases with Heiji was in part out of worry. Sometimes he would just up and vanish from his house, leaving behind only a note that he was going to look into some kind of case. They usually couldn't get into contact with him whenever he did so, and it was something that ate away at the pit of her stomach, filling her with worry.

There was always a hard look in Heiji's eyes whenever he came back from such a case as well- a look that shouldn't be there in the eyes of the boy she'd grown up with, who she had come to know so well. Or who she _thought_ she knew so well, at the very least. There were times, brief moments, when she thought that she didn't even recognize Hattori Heiji as he was now- but they barely lasted an instant, especially lately.

It felt as if something good had happened after the first time he'd come back from Tokyo, casually mentioning that he'd met Kudo. It had been part of why she'd been jealous of this Kudo person in the first place, not knowing that he meant Kudo Shinichi, the detective of the east, and the one the media had depicted as his rival. In truth, she was _still_ a little bit jealous of him- it almost felt as if there was something that the young man that she had barely met had done for Heiji that she was unable to do for him herself.

She just didn't know what that was, and that too, bothered her.

Really, she didn't really like letting Heiji out of her sight. Who knew what kind of trouble he was getting himself into where she couldn't see him, when she couldn't reach him? And that look in his eyes whenever he came home... sometimes, it was more than she could bear. Even if the quick grins and the easy smiles returned fast as she could blink, she could never forget that brief, momentary look that haunted his eyes.

Who was that person, she found herself wondering from time to time- who was that person who sometimes surfaced within her childhood friend? He was a Heiji that she didn't know.

"No, no trouble." Heiji lied, a quick grin gracing his features. There was no need to tell her about the crime scene that he had visited with Conan and Ran- the one that he had helped create himself in the first place. The less said about that, the better. "Ah, that's right, Neechan wanted me ta pass on her greetings to ya."

"Really?" Kazuha blinked. "I'd better go give her a call when I get back, then." Taking a few steps forward, she reached out a hand, lightly flicking Heiji on the forehead. "That's fer goin' ta Tokyo ta visit everyone without tellin' me, idiot. Invite me along next time, okay?"

"Hey, Kazuha!" Grumbling a little, a hand straying up towards his forehead, Heiji let out a long sigh, before giving her a slight grin. "Okay, okay. Next time I go ta Tokyo, I'll bring ya with me."

At least, so long as he wasn't going to Tokyo because of _them_. That said, he might very well have to go back sometime soon- if Kudo really did intend to chase his shadow, there were some arrangements that he needed to make with a certain person- namely to see to it that they kept their mouth _shut_.

Come to think of it, he should probably see to it that Kir held her tongue before she let anything slip. Perhaps her, the unfortunate and somewhat unintentional mole from the CIA, he would tell a bit of the truth to.

* * *

As much as he owed him his life, getting Okiya Subaru- or rather, Akai Shuichi, to speak about what he knew in regards to the Black Organization could sometimes be rather difficult. Still, it was easier than trying to pump Ai for information- he was quite certain that there were things that she knew that she was still withholding from him- possibly out of some kind of desire to keep him from getting too deeply involved, too quickly. It chafed at him, but at the same time, pressing the girl wouldn't do too much good.

Thankfully, it appeared as if the FBI investigator was in something of a chatty mood. He brought with him the very same information that he'd given to Jodie, and had quickly jumped to asking him if he had received any word from Kir lately. Since he'd gotten the message from her telling him of the existence of the Black Organization's number two, Rum, he hadn't heard hide nor hair from her, and was, frankly, starting to get a little bit worried.

"She _did_ message me the other day, actually." Subaru told him, opening one eye to glance down towards the curious child that he was _quite_ certain was no actual child. He wasn't quite certain how the young man who was supposed to be the main resident of this house had wound up finding himself returning to being a child, but he was rather certain that Kudo Shinichi and Edogawa Conan were one and the same. "I was going to make contact with Jodie about it soon enough when I had the chance."

"Was it in regards to Rum?" Conan asked, narrowing his eyes. Perhaps this had been the work of the very person that he had been looking for- although somehow, he doubted it. The Organization's number two would have probably been far more thorough than what he had seen at the crime scene. Though the existence of Rum was something that he had overheard via spying on the man, he already knew full well that Subaru was well aware he was looking into the matter as well, and knew more or less what he knew about them.

At least, that's what Conan thought- one could never really say for sure with the likes of Akai Shuichi.

Just as he suspected, Subaru didn't even look the slightest bit surprised at the question, and instead, merely shook his head. "No, it wasn't about them. Rather, it was another codename of one of their members. One I'm not familiar with, I'm afraid. I do believe that perhaps they joined the Organization after my stint with them ended."

"Another codename?" Conan blinked, before narrowing his eyes sharply. Was it possible that there was yet another Organization member lurking around them? It certainly wasn't impossible. He had asked Ai about Rum already, though she hadn't been able to give him much information. It was worth asking her about this new codename as well, provided that Subaru was willing to speak it. "Did she give you any more information beyond that?"

"No, not at the moment." Subaru said simply, bringing up the text on his cellphone, showing it to him without letting the phone leave his hands. At the sight of the single word contained within the message, he couldn't help but notice that Conan's first reaction was not that expression that crossed his face whenever the hint of a big mystery was closing in around him- but rather, something of surprise. "Is there something about it?"

"Ah, no." Conan said quickly, shaking his head. Granted, he had suspected that there might be a chance that there was such a member- but he couldn't help but dwell on the irony of there _really_ being an Organization member by the codename of Paikaru. "It's nothing. Do you really know nothing about them, Subaru-san?"

"I'm afraid not." Subaru remarked, switching away from the message and tucking his cellphone back away. "It wasn't one that I've heard before. They're either a new recruit, or perhaps didn't have a codename when I was with them undercover. Perhaps you could pass the information onto Jodie for me though, boy. The less direct contact I have with her, the better."

"I can do that." Conan said, slowly nodding his head, not quite certain how he felt about playing the messenger- even if it _was_ a convenient role. "Was there anything else, Subaru-san? We're still trying to identify the corpse of the man found, but he's pretty heavily burned, so it doesn't appear that the police are having an easy time."

"That I don't know either." Subaru admitted after a moment, glancing through the papers again. "If I do think of something, I'll get in touch with you again, Conan-kun."

"Understood." Sensing that this was probably all he was going to get from him, Conan slowly got to his feet. "Thank you for your help, Subaru-san. I'll pass on what you told me to Jodie-sensei right away!"

 _Paikaru, huh_. To think that there really was an Organization member named after the key ingredient to Apotoxin's temporary antidotes. Perhaps he was even another undercover mole- but if he had anything to do with the corpse that had turned up in the warehouse, then frankly, he doubted it. After Kir and Bourbon, the odds of running into a new Organization member that wasn't who they claimed they were was rather low. Just like with Rum, he would have to be prepared to face off against the real deal again.

He could only hope this Paikaru wasn't someone that he already knew- he didn't like the feeling of constantly second guessing those around him. He kept those he could trust implicitly close to him- and they were a precious few, really. Those who knew the _whole_ truth, such as his parents, the professor, Ai, and of course, Heiji- though the less he got the latter of them involved, the better. He could pass off his involvement with him once without the Black Organization catching wind of his existence, but he didn't want to risk getting his friend involved in something big twice, not if he could help it.

If the Organization was to learn that Heiji was involved in the efforts to bring them down, then it wouldn't just be the Osakan detective's life that would be in danger. If something ever happened to Kazuha, Ran would probably never quite recover from it- and he didn't want either of those things to happen.

Come to think of it though, Heiji had been the one to bring that bottle of Paikaru to the detective agency in the first place. Blinking a little, Conan couldn't help but let a faint chuckle escape from his lips as he exited the Kudo manor, unable to help but think that Heiji too, would be able to appreciate the irony. That said, he wasn't about to tell him if he could help it- there was no doubt that if he did, he would want to help- and the further Conan could keep his best friend away from the Black Organization, the better.

He was already playing a dangerous game as it was- he didn't need to drag Heiji into it further with him.

* * *

"Yes, there is one. I've never met him, though."

With a long sigh, Ai felt her gaze fall away from that of Conan's- it was a gaze that told her that he wasn't going to take a lie for an answer. Well, she had always decided that if directly confronted her about a member of the Organization, that she would tell him the truth, in so far as she knew, at the very least.

When he showed up at her front door, she had assumed that he was here to ask if she had made any progress with a new temporary antidote. Instead, he had one of their codenames on his lips- ironically enough the very same member that she had been thinking about just yesterday. As always, his timing was impeccable. She wasn't certain how he had found out about him in such a short span of time, but there was a look of certainty to his eyes as he asked, telling her that he already knew full well that an Organization member with the codename of Paikaru existed, and he simply just wanted whatever details that she might have on them.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Ai observed, glancing over towards the half used bottle of Paikaru resting on the table just to her side. "The very thing that allowed us to begin to formulate an antidote holds the same name as the one of the Organization's more dangerous members. That's what I know about Paikaru, Kudo-kun- that he's a dangerous person who works to track down those who seek to betray or have betrayed the organization. A traitor hunter, you could say."

"Traitor hunter?" Conan asked, his eyes quickly narrowing. If that was the case, was Kir possibly in danger right now? No, even if she didn't have much time, he got the feeling he would have sent some indication of such in her last message were that the case, to let them know to sever all ties with her for their own safety- or to ask for help. If it wasn't Kir, then was there a chance this Paikaru could be closing in on the one previously known as Sherry- on the girl before him?

Either way, it didn't sound good.

"That's right." Ai said simply, nodding her head. "As I said before, I've never met him myself, so all I know about Paikaru are things that I've gleaned from other members." She told him frankly. "His main role in the Organization seems to be tracking down traitors and those who try and run from it- whether they're Organization members, or those that the Organization deals with. Either he turns them over to the Organization itself once he's found them, or he eliminates them personally. I hear he's pretty skilled at it too. A detective in his own right."

"Well, he's even more skilled with languages though." Ai told him, brushing off the look of anger that surfaced on Conan's face when she connected something like a detective to the Organization. Frankly, if she hadn't just been thinking about him yesterday, she might not have been able to call up all of these facts so easily. "I hear that he serves as a translator for Vermouth quite often, as well as certain other members in that circle. Out of the Organization members, I believe he's most connected to Vermouth, though that's only my guess."

"Do you know what he looks like?" Conan asked, a deep frown crossing his features. If that was true, and he really _was_ someone connected to Vermouth- even though she had promised to leave Ai alone after they had won the Mystery Train gambit, there was no telling if she would hold true to her word or not. Well, it was possible that it was a total coincidence as well- or that she had only asked Paikaru to keep an eye on things for her around here. From the sound of it, he didn't really seem like he could be an undercover agent for some other law enforcement group. Well, if he had the task of tracking down traitors and the like, it was possible he still had some kind of connection to law enforcement- a mole for the Organization, rather than against them.

A real, genuine member of the Black Organization. As much as a sense of apprehension from the unknown loomed over him, he couldn't also catch the scent of a challenge riding in on the wind- one that he was ready to face head on.

"No. It's to his advantage that not many members know his face, given his main role." Ai said, shaking her head. "I only know that he speaks with a Kansai dialect."

"Kansai-ben?" Now that had a look of surprise crossing Conan's face, growing somewhat unsettled at the chance that such a dangerous person might be living in the same prefecture that his best friend called home. He almost wanted to call Heiji up and warn him about the existence of such a person- but there was no telling what he might do with that information. Rather than try and keep his guard up and stay away, he would probably dive headfirst into the investigation, and there would be very little that Conan could do to stop him, not from Tokyo.

Heiji had a talent for finding trouble all on his own, the _last_ thing that he needed to do was get him even more mixed up with the Organization investigation than he already was. Granted, the Osakan detective's help might be nice to have, if the member in question really _was_ from Osaka. Heiji would know that territory better than him, like the back of his hand- but if he was going to involve him, then it would be in person, and not just over the phone.

"That's correct." Ai said with a long sigh, peering across at him. "Other than that, I'm afraid I don't know much else about him. Why did you ask, Kudo-kun?" Leveling her gaze with him, the sharp look in her eyes told him that she wasn't interested in hearing any lies. She was being honest with him, so he might as well cough up the truth for once. "Have you caught wind of him being here?"

"Ah, well..." Trailing off a little, now finding himself in the hot seat, Conan took a moment to recover his composure. "There's been some possible indication that he might be, but nothing has been confirmed yet. I don't think it's anything to worry about right at this moment, but... If it really does come down to it, I _will_ protect you, Haibara. So don't think about going anywhere."

Locking eyes with him for a moment longer, Ai let out another sigh, closing her eyes. "I can't make any promises." She said finally. "But I'll trust you, Kudo-kun. If someone like that really is closing in on us, then there's a chance that he might already be certain that I'm in Tokyo somewhere. Well, unless Vermouth has already told him as much, I bet he'd be quite surprised to see me in this state, given the information he would have gotten from the rest of the Organization would have indicated that I was eighteen years old."

"Well, that much is true." Conan admitted after a moment, his brows furrowing together in thought. What he needed now was more information- he didn't like the idea of having to deal with two Organization members being near him at the same time, especially when he knew so little about them. "For the time being, I'll pass this information along to Jodie-sensei."

"You're not going to attempt to contact that Hattori-kun about this, are you?" Ai found herself asking, her eyes narrowing sharply. "I'm sure I don't need to remind you how dangerous what we're involved in is, Kudo-kun."

"You don't need to say it twice, Haibara." Conan said, giving her a slight look. "I don't plan on contacting Hattori about this until I get more information. I haven't even told him about Rum yet. It's true that if Paikaru is from the Kansai region, that his assistance might become useful in the future, but I don't want to involve him unless it's absolutely necessary. The stakes here aren't anywhere near the same as they were back then."

Not needing him to elaborate on what he meant, Ai simply gave him a curt nod. "Good." Turning her chair around, she paused for a moment, giving him another slight look. "Is that all? I still have plenty of research to do, Kudo-kun."

"Ah, yeah, that's all for now." Conan said after a moment, giving the shrunken scientist a studious look. She had said that she wasn't going to run away- and he had no choice but to believe her. If Paikaru was really here because of Haibara, then it would probably be a good idea to inform Subaru to keep a closer watch on her- even if she wouldn't like that.

His gaze lingering on the half used bottle of Paikaru by Ai's side, his eyes somewhat narrowed. Whatever he was here for, whatever he was planning- make no mistake, he would catch hold of his shadow, and drag him out into the light.

Whoever he was, he wouldn't escape from him.

* * *

"Hey, Heiji, are ya even listening ta me?"

"No." With no uncertain frankness, Heiji openly admitted as much- even as the face of his childhood friend set into a glower, before she gave up on her anger almost just as quickly, instead settling for a long, exasperated sigh. "Sorry, Kazuha, I was just thinkin' about somethin' else. What is it ya were sayin'?"

"Geez, ya've been distracted ever since ya came back from Tokyo, Heiji." Kazuha almost huffed. Frankly, she was starting to get a little worried about him- his trip to Tokyo had been over a week ago now, it wasn't like him to be hung up on something for so long. Really, it bothered her as to why he hadn't brought up the case he had been briefly involved in while he was there- she had called Ran the other day to ask if anything had happened while Heiji was visiting Tokyo, and had learned it secondhand from her.

Even if he was still trying to puzzle out the truth of that case, it wasn't like him to be this distracted. It was as if his mind was completely elsewhere sometimes, thinking about something else. She was seeing that distant look in his eyes that she didn't care for a little too often these days, and it was part of the reason why she had taken the initiative to invite him out today- after all, today was a Sunday, and the weather was nice- what better way to spend the day than a nice day out with your childhood friend?

Well, she'd be lying if she said she didn't hope to make something more out of the day than just a pleasant day with a _friend_ , if one caught her drift.

"Ah, sorry about that." Heiji said, rubbing the back of his neck- a hint of a grin emerging on his face even as he did so. "Don't tell me yer worried about me, Kazuha?"

" _Idiot_ , who would be worried about ya?" Kazuha said, folding her arms in front of her chest and shooting him something of a dirty look. Of course she was worried about him, if she had to be perfectly honest with herself- this behavior wasn't really like him. "I just find it annoyin' when ya don't respond properly ta what I'm sayin' when I'm tryin' ta talk ta ya, that's all!"

"Right, right, I'm sure that's what it is." Heiji said with a quick grin, rising to his feet. "Anyways, have ya decided on what ya want ta buy yet? How long are ya gonna keep me stuck in this frilly store anyways? I'm already starvin' here! Let's get lunch already!"

"That's why I was tryin' ta ask fer yer opinion, so I could hurry up an' make up my mind already!" Kazuha huffed, before holding up a pair of shirts. "I only really have the money ta buy one of them, after all, even though they're both cute."

"Then, why don't I buy the other one?" Heiji asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Eh?" Almost wondering if she heard him right, Kazuha found herself blinking, taking a few steps back from him, even as her cheeks tinted a bright shade of pink. "W-what's that about? Ya never offer ta pay fer things that aren't food, Heiji! Are ya runnin' a fever?"

"Idiot, I'm not." Casting her a long glower, Heiji heaved a long sigh. "I just want ya ta hurry up, that's all! 'Sides it's not like askin' me is goin' ta do ya any good."

"Well, that's true. Ya _do_ have terrible fashion sense." Kazuha said after a moment, unable to help but grin as she watched Heiji sputter at her words- now _there_ was the idiot that she knew and loved. "Ya don't have any right ta protest ta that when I'm pretty sure ya own at least one camo print version of every kind of clothin', Heiji!"

"What's with that wrong with that?" Heiji grumbled, folding his arms in front of his chest, muttering something underneath his breath about this being the thanks he got for trying to be generous. Well, in reality, there was another reason aside from hurrying her out of the damn store already that he'd offered to buy it for her- frankly, if things got bad, it was possible that he might have to disappear from Osaka entirely. The time that he could spend normally with Kazuha like this might very well be limited, so he wasn't about to waste it. He didn't know when it might happen, or if it even would- but he had to be prepared for it.

And that meant it was time to stop deluding himself into thinking that he was a normal teenager, and put his growing feelings for Kazuha to the wayside. They wouldn't disappear, but he had no right to act on them. Frankly, he didn't know what he was thinking sometimes- there was no way that someone like him had any right to confess to her in the first place. Sure, they were childhood friends, but if Kazuha had _any_ idea of the sort of things that he had done, of the sort of person that he was- he doubted that she would want anything to do with him anymore.

He wasn't the good person that she thought he was- but he wanted to remain that way in her thoughts for as long as he possibly could.

"Come on already, hand it over!" Heiji huffed, wordlessly taking both of the tops from her, and marching up to the register with them before she could even so much as protest. It wasn't like he was short on money, really- he got way more than he knew what to do with from the Organization as it was. Not that he'd be using that money right now- it was nothing short of blood money.

With a slight frown, Kazuha trailed after Heiji, carefully finding herself studying his profile. Just as she thought, there really was something weird going on with him lately. He was definitely troubled over something, but whatever it was, he didn't seem willing to talk to her about it, and was trying to act as if nothing was wrong. She had known him forever after all, she could tell that much.

But sometimes, she thought, she felt like she didn't know him at all.

It was the way his expression subtly shifted at the sound of his cellphone ringing, even as he forced the bag with the purchases towards her. It was in the smile that crossed his face in that moment, as he told her he had to take this call, and that she should wait for him in the usual place by the park. In that instant, it was almost as if he were no longer Hattori Heiji, her childhood friend, but had become someone else.

A stranger.

With a promise that he would meet up with her soon, the two of them went their separate ways. Kazuha paused only once, sending a lingering gaze back towards him, watching as Heiji ducked into a more private place to take his phone call. Lingering for a moment longer, Kazuha finally let her shoulders slump, turning on her heel, hoping that he would be back to being the person she knew when he met up with her again.

"What do ya want?"

"That tone suggests that I might have interrupted something, Paikaru." The woman's voice almost floated across the other end of the phone, and Heiji- no, it was Paikaru at this moment in time, let a long sigh escape from his lips, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Were you perhaps having a delightful time with your childhood friend?"

"Are ya watchin' me from somewhere, Vermouth?" Paikaru asked, casting a glance about his surroundings, his eyes narrowing at every suspicious vantage point. It wouldn't have been out of character for her to do something like that, after all. She seemed to have a rather vested interest in him, right from the start- but all the more so once he had tossed in his lot with Kudo Shinichi.

He didn't understand what her game was, really. Not only had she covered for him that one time, but she had also kept her silence all this time on the matter. It was almost like she _wanted_ to see Kudo succeed.

"Of course not." Vermouth said simply, a hint of amusement on her voice at the faint grumble that she heard to his. Really, he had gotten so more interesting to deal with since he had rather unexpectedly befriended the one that she had sent him out to find in the first place. Back then, she never could have imagined that her actions would have created such an interesting development as this one- and really, it worked rather well to her favor, if anything. "There's a matter that I need you to deal with, Paikaru. It would appear that one of the lower ranked codenames has messed up rather badly- they let one of their underlings escape the Organization with some pretty valuable information."

"So? Ya want me ta track down this underling, then?" Paikaru asked, an exasperated sigh escaping from him as he rubbed the back of his neck. There was no need to ask for specifics about the information in question- he wasn't going to get it. "Yer all runnin' me ragged lately, between you an' that old man."

"It's not as if you're in a situation to say no, anyways." Vermouth said lightly, listening to him click his tongue in disgust on the other side of the phone. "But that's correct. I'll send the information to work phone. We believe he's trying to get into contact with the FBI to give them this information, so do take care, Paikaru. You want to avoid being found out by that boy, don't you?"

Grumbling underneath his breath, Paikaru couldn't help but let out a rather creative litany of swears at her words, before calming himself down somewhat. There was no reason to let her get him worked up- that was what she wanted, after all. Still, it was easier said than done- holding in his temper wasn't exactly something he was all that good at. " _Fine_. Give me just one hour of my own time, an' I'll head out ta deal with it."

"One hour permitted." Vermouth said simply, and somehow he didn't even need to see her face to know what kind of expression was on it. "Take care of your childhood friend, Paikaru. Mind your face. You don't want _her_ finding out either, do you?"

"Do ya enjoy botherin' me or somethin'?" Paikaru asked, narrowing his eyes. "I'll deal with yer stray, Vermouth, though I imagine that _still_ isn't yer damn favor." He said shortly, knowing without asking what kind of measures she wanted him to use against said stray. Best to raid the storage locker before he left, then. He needed the _other_ motorcycle anyways. "I assume the Organization's already taken measures against the stray's boss, right?"

"Of course." Vermouth said simply. "What kind of people do you take us for?"

"A bunch of garbage feedin' crows." Paikaru stated frankly, rolling his eyes at the slight hint of laughter that escaped from the blonde woman. Hanging up the phone without another word, he let his gaze linger on the call information for a moment longer, before he quickly erased it from his call logs. "Well, not that I'm any better."

Taking in and letting out a deep breath, Paikaru worked to shift gears, pulling off the mask he had slipped on almost by instinct the moment he'd heard his cellphone ring. It was a good few moments before he felt enough like Hattori Heiji to pull off any sort of interaction with Kazuha, much less informing her that he was going to have to flake on the rest of their promised day out together. Doubtlessly, she wouldn't take it well.

She was probably worried about him, now that he thought about it. Ever since he'd gone with Kudo to the scene of one of his own crimes, he couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't going to be able to prevent what was going to begin soon- a chase, a game between the two of them, with only one of the players being aware of it. In the back of his mind, a small voice whispered that perhaps _now_ would be the best time to tell him- once he really started to investigate the matter, there would be no turning back. It was best to do it now, and cut his losses while they were still small.

But he couldn't do that. Kudo, for whatever reason, _trusted_ him- and he couldn't betray that trust. What would happen should he come to know the truth? Would he expose him? Would he turn him over to his allies, his _real_ allies, those who weren't stained with black? Would he keep it to himself, but otherwise shut him out of his life, viewing him as the traitor that he rightfully should? There was no way it would go over well, not at this point.

It was pointless to hope for that.

The news that this man that Vermouth wanted him to track down was trying to get into contact with the FBI bothered him. What kind of information had this man, this underling, learned by pure chance? Would it be information that would be vital to bringing them down? If that was the case, shouldn't he let the man connect with the FBI, so that information could work it's way to Kudo, and make his life easier for him? That was what a real ally and furthermore a real _friend_ , would do in this situation.

But he'd been given orders, and even if they were from Vermouth, who was already holding her silence, he knew there was no way he could refuse them. He could try and trick them, try and pull of some kind of elaborate scheme- but frankly, he was no Kudo, and furthermore, he was alone. It was impossible. The last thing he wanted to do was turn the Organization's attention towards him again, like it had the last time he had helped him out in a rather obvious way. He was lucky that he had gotten off with as little suspicion cast upon him as he did back then, and he knew that it would have been _far worse_ without Vermouth's assistance.

Protecting the information that he knew was the most important thing. If the Organization were to learn about Kudo Shinichi's survival, or Sherry's location, it would be all over. As long as he was still involved with them, he could keep his ears and eyes open, listening for any whispers or rumors that came his way, and deal with them accordingly. It wouldn't just be Kudo who would pay the price if the truth came out, but those he had surrounded himself with- and Heiji had no desire to see anything happen to them either. How many tears would Kazuha shed if anything happened to Ran? He wouldn't be able to forgive himself for causing her pain.

Ironically enough, the best way for him to avoid suspicion was to act like the picture perfect Organization member, to act as the loyal dog to the whole lot of those garbage eating crows. He would do what he could for Kudo behind the scenes, but otherwise, in every other respect, he had no choice but to actively work against him. Kudo would manage, however, he knew that much- he was amazing, after all. If their situations were reversed, he probably would have already escaped this role.

Somehow he doubted that his shrunken friend would accept that he was acting to protect him, and to protect those that he cared about, though.

"Oh, Kazuha!" With a quick grin, Heiji lifted a hand, calling out to his childhood friend, not missing the slight glint of relief that danced in her eyes upon seeing his face. She could always sort of tell when he wasn't quite himself, when he was wearing that mask, he'd realized that long ago. As long as it never went any further than that, everything would be fine. "Sorry fer keepin' ya waitin'! I have a bit of bad news though."

"Don't tell me it's another case?" Kazuha asked, locking eyes with him.

"'Fraid so." Heiji told her, giving her something of a helpless shrug of his shoulders. "Sorry, but I'll have ta ditch on our lunch plans."

"Then, I'm comin' with ya in that case, Heiji." Kazuha insisted, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"Sorry, Kazuha, no can do this time!" Heiji told her, an apologetic grin flashing on his face, as he reached over, playfully ruffling her hair, laughing a little as she grumpily swatted his hand away. He hoped that this wouldn't be the last chance that he got to see her, and that he would be able to return home as normal after this mission- but if Kudo caught wind of it, and chose to involve himself, that might be tricky. Not that he was about to let his secrets be dragged out into the light without a fight.

Sorry, Kudo. There were things that he needed to protect himself.


	4. (Not Their) First Encounter

**AN** : The fourth chapter is here, and my, my, my do some developments happen in it! It was quite the fun chapter to write so I hope it's half as fun to read! With that said, thanks to everyone who is reading this story, and don't forget to leave a review on your way out!

* * *

 **Black Echo**

 **Chapter Four**

 **(Not Their) First Encounter**

* * *

Yoshimura Daisuke, age thirty nine, who on the surface worked as nothing more than a bank teller. An unassuming man all around, and frankly, Heiji couldn't help but wonder how he had managed to get into the Organization in the first place- even if he didn't have a codename, and was considered to be on the lowest rung of the ladder. Granted, his life story didn't matter all that much anymore. It was probably going to end soon anyways.

He hadn't been tasked with tracking the man down for asking him his reasons for running from the Organization, he'd been tasked with tracking the man down to ensure that he couldn't give away valuable information. While the words hadn't been spoken out loud, it was quite obvious what Vermouth wanted his fate to be- and as much as Heiji felt pity for him on some level, what needed to be done needed to be done. If he let someone like this slip through his fingers, the Organization would begin questioning his activities again.

He'd rather avoid that.

After excusing himself from his afternoon with Kazuha, Heiji had made his way back home. It was good luck that his mother seemed to be out at the moment- and of course, his father was at work. Removing his second cellphone, the one he had to make sure that Kudo never found out he owned, from it's hiding place, he found that the details surrounding this mission were already waiting for him on it, just as promised. Full details about the escaped member were readily available to him- but just as he thought, anything about the supposed information that the man had fled with wasn't there.

He could only hope that the man himself might be forthcoming, or that there was some kind of physical record of the information. If he played his cards right, he might even be able to get him to tell Hattori Heiji- before he realized the true nature of the high school detective who had come to visit. He didn't know if he would be able to pass that information along to Kudo, not without him beginning to suspect him- but it was worth hearing anyways. Involved though he was with these shady creeps, he regrettably had to admit that even _he_ was still in the dark about exactly what it was that the Organization's true goals were.

Whatever they were, he didn't doubt that they were horrifying. He had seen enough to know that much. What things that he knew- that the Organization had purposefully sent Sherry to Mermaid Island in the past in order to investigate their claims of an immortal grandmother, that the poison that had started everything for his friend was never _meant_ to be a poison in the first place, lead him to have some speculations- but speculations alone could be dangerous.

Perhaps if he contacted Kir, and explained the situation to her, she might be willing to become something of a liaison for him, so to speak. Granted, he didn't know if she would be willing to accept it- after all, he wasn't like her at all. She was a good person, thrown into a bad situation, and was trying to make the best she could out of it. She was CIA, a mole, someone with purpose.

He was just a traitor, no matter how you looked at him. To the Organization, of course, but also to his father, and his best friend. The worst kind of person.

Well, she did also have a kid brother around his own age as well- maybe that would pull on her heartstrings more than anything. There were still suspicions lingering around her from that time, even though she had fulfilled her mission- at least, in so far as the Organization knew. There were limits to what kind of information she could obtain now- maybe partnering up with him would be a tantalizing deal in that regard.

"Oh, Heiji!"

Thankfully, Heiji tucked his work cellphone back away into his pocket before his mother entered his room, before she could catch sight of it. What was she doing here? He was pretty sure that her shoes weren't in the entranceway, and he hadn't heard her come in- he wasn't so absorbed in his thoughts that he would have missed something like that. "What's up, mom?"

"You're just in time. I was about to get ready to clean the storehouse when I heard you come in." Shizuka said, a soft smile crossing her face. She had been in the storehouse- no wonder. "Although I was sure you were spending today with Kazuha... did something happen?"

"Yeah, somethin' came up." Heiji said, nodding his head. "I don't think I'll be able ta help ya clean the storehouse today, mom, sorry. I might gone fer awhile on a case, actually. I just got a phone call about it."

"Ah, is that so?" Shizuka asked, an understanding expression on her face. Nodding her head, he didn't miss the way that her brow creased with worry- but it was nothing more than the usual. If she knew what her son was _really_ heading out to do- no, he didn't want to think about that. "Well, be careful. Where are you heading this time? Tokyo again?"

"Close, but not quite. It's in the Chiba prefecture." Heiji told her- which was also a lie. It was actually in the Shizuoka prefecture. Well, that was where he would start looking anyways, checking that man's apartment for any signs of clues. Someone like that would have left a trail, and it was one that he intended to follow. It probably wouldn't be hard. "I'll give ya a call when I get there."

Still, if the FBI were involved, then he had to hurry. If he didn't deal with the man before the information reached them about someone trying to contact them with Organization intel... it could get rather tricky, and quick. At the very least, he didn't think he'd be dealing with that Akai Shuichi person, something he very much wanted to avoid- honestly, he didn't even want to meet the man as _Hattori Heiji_ , much less as _Paikaru_. If anything, it would probably be that Jodie woman- but even that was a little too much, given the fact that she had already met him.

Both Hattori Heiji and Paikaru, really, though she wasn't aware of the latter. Much better to keep it that way.

And if the FBI were involved- it was highly likely that Kudo would involve himself. And that, definitely, was something he didn't want.

"You'd better, Heiji." Shizuka said, and though her tone was light, there was a trace of a lecture to be had at another time. "I have confidence in your skills as a detective, but I worry about you."

"I know." Heiji told her, giving her a small smile. Frankly, he didn't feel like he deserved said worry. His parents had taken in the son of murderers, and how was he repaying them? By becoming even worse than his blood related parents, all while lying through his teeth about it. If his father knew that he had given the Organization Osakan police intelligence any number of times in the past, he doubted he'd ever forgive him. And that wasn't even touching on the _murder_. "Sorry mom, but I need ta get ready."

"Oh, of course." Shizuka said, nodding her head. "Then, I'll get out of your way, Heiji. Do be careful!"

With that said, Shizuka departed from his room, closing his door behind him. Once he was certain she was gone, Heiji let a long sigh escape from his lips, rubbing the back of his neck, before he pulled out his cellphone again, burning the image of the man he'd been assigned to hunt down into his head.

It was unfortunate, but it couldn't be helped. A mission was a mission- and Vermouth had been right. He really _wasn't_ in a position to refuse.

* * *

"You're going to meet him, right? This Yoshimura Daisuke?"

Feeling her head thump against her steering wheel, Jodie was just grateful that Conan had waited until they were stopped at a red light to make his presence known. Really, she should have expected this much- but she hadn't noticed the small boy sneak into the back of her car at all. Were he to put his mind to it, there was no doubt that he might one day make a splendid FBI agent- but there was no way in hell she was going to try and recruit a seven year old _child_ , of all things, however gifted he might be.

"Conan-kun, you really shouldn't be here." Jodie said finally, lifting her head just in time for the light to change. There was no time to waste, so she continued down the road- and she knew that Conan knew that much. Once he got inside of her car, and once she was on her way, she wouldn't have time to stop and let him out. "I'm grateful for the information that you brought me from Shu, but it this could be dangerous. Depending on how badly the Organization doesn't want this information to get out, they might already be looking for Yoshimura-san. I don't want to put you in their crosshairs."

"It's fine, I'll be careful!" Conan all but chirped, beaming proudly as he realized that his plan had gone off without a hitch. He had to thank his good timing- he had arrived at Jodie's apartment to inform of what he'd learned from Subaru and Ai alike, just in time for her to get a call from her boss, informing her that there was a chance that they might be able to obtain some important information in regards to the Organization, if they moved quickly.

"There's no way I can convince you to stay in the car once we get there?" Jodie asked, chancing a glance back towards him, almost not needing him to answer the question. That expression on his face was more than enough. Even if she tried to lock him in it, he would still get out and follow her in- it was better if she could keep him where she could see him at all times. "You'll have to listen to _every word I say_ , Conan-kun. And if things look dangerous, I want you to hide yourself and _stay there_ until I come get you. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got!" Conan promised her, nodding his head. "Besides, if it becomes dangerous, you can just use that thing you brought with you."

"So you noticed that much." Jodie noted, sparing a glance down towards her leg, where she had hidden her pistol. It was a dangerous situation she was about to head into, after all- there was no telling if the man would even still be alive once she got there. It was a gamble, a race, between her and the Organization, one they probably already had a head start on. "Why are you so interested in the Organization anyways, Conan-kun? You've never given me an answer about that."

"Because they're bad people!" Conan told her simply, even though he knew full well that the child's answer would not satisfy her. He didn't have anything against Jodie, and frankly, he trusted her quite a bit- but the less people who knew the truth behind Edogawa Conan, the better. "But more importantly, Jodie-sensei, do you think this Yoshimura-san really has important information? He's a former Organization member himself, isn't he?"

Heaving a slight sigh at the non-answer to her question, Jodie nevertheless was forced to accept it. "That's right, although he's a member without a codename, much like Kusuda Rikumichi was." She said, carefully switching lanes as she headed onto the highway. "He's currently holed up in a hotel room under a false name, and managed to contact us through some back channels. He won't say _what_ kind of information it is that he obtained, just that it's very important. Whatever the case, it's worth taking a chance on."

"I see." Placing a hand to his chin, his brows furrowing together in thought, Conan couldn't help but be intrigued at the prospect as well. What kind of information was it, that it was so important that he'd go this far? His life was most likely in extreme danger now- he'd most likely want the FBI'S protection in exchange for it. Jodie was right, the Organization was probably already looking for him.

And if the Organization was looking for him, there was a chance that _they_ were looking for him. The Organization member named Paikaru. If that was the case, then Conan absolutely did not want to pass up on this chance- both the chance to obtain more information about the Organization itself, and the chance to obtain more information about this Paikaru, to shed some light on this shadowy figure he had only just learned about.

If his hunch was correct, and Paikaru really _did_ have some kind of connection to law enforcement like he suspected, then there was a chance that he might even be working for the Osakan police. It would make sense- if he could easily track down traitors and get them to trust him, he probably had to be someone that they would trust in the first place. A police officer or a detective- someone that they wouldn't doubt wanted to help them. He would then turn that very same trust against them- truly a horrible man.

Well, even if he _did_ speak with Kansai-ben, that didn't guarantee that he was actually really living in the Kansai region, he supposed. Besides, even if he did, he still might live in Kyoto, as opposed to Osaka- and it was possible his theory might be completely wrong to begin with. Still, if there was a chance that he might be someone close to Heiji, he wanted to deal with him as quickly as possible. At the very least, he wanted to know what the man _looked_ like. He'd feel a lot more comfortable if he did.

Whatever the case, he didn't think he'd come out of this situation at a loss- one way or another, he'd leave it knowing _something_.

* * *

"Hattori Heiji? The famous high school detective?"

"That's right." Beaming broadly at the man in front of him even as he sized him up, he took a step inside the room, closing the door behind him. They auto locked- good. The fact that he had been able to get him to open up the door in the first place was a good sign- it would appear that whatever his information was, it had nothing to do with him. "I heard about yer situation, Yoshimura-han, an' I decided ta come an' offer my help. Yer tryin' ta contact the FBI, right?"

"That's correct, but how did you know about that?" The man in question, Yoshimura Daisuke, could only blink in confusion. He'd heard that the FBI was sending out someone to meet him- but he'd also heard that the person coming was an American woman. Still, he _did_ recognize the teenager in question. It was hard not to- his face often showed up in the newspaper, after all. Hattori Heiji was a hard one to miss.

He'd almost been a bit apprehensive to let him in at first- but there was no way that a mere high school student, detective or not, could have _any_ associations with those who were doubtlessly chasing him. Besides, this was the only son of Osaka's chief of police they were talking about- and from little he saw of him on the news, he knew that Hattori Heizo was a rather formidable man.

He might be someone smart to ally himself with- if the FBI couldn't get him out of this situation, then maybe _he_ could. Really, he was filled with nothing but regrets- why had he gone there at that time? If he hadn't done something like that, then he wouldn't be running for his life. At the very least, if he turned his back on the Organization, and passed on the information to those chasing them, he might live to see another day but given the choice, he'd rather go back in time and prevent this all from happening in the first place.

"My old man's actually been lookin' into those guys fer awhile." The lies flowed freely from Paikaru's lips, keeping his tone and expression friendly, his posture casual. As he suspected, Daisuke was armed. He'd have to be a bit careful- he'd rather _avoid_ getting shot. "Him comin' here himself would raise suspicion, which is why he sent me instead. I hear that ya landed yerself in some pretty hot water, Yoshimura-han. Somethin' about learnin' some information ya weren't supposed ta?"

Too easy, really. How many others had he tricked in this same fashion? Honestly, some son he was, using his father's name to gain access when his own wasn't quite enough. Really, that old man would have been better served by letting him disappear into the foster system. Maybe if he'd done that, then he wouldn't have ended up becoming such a person in the first place.

No, that probably wouldn't be the case. If he'd done that, they would have found him anyways- and at a _much_ younger age at that. Really, his blood parents weren't much different from this man- desperate to do anything to escape. Sure, he'd been shocked when he'd heard that both of his parents were murderers- but it was only later that he learned that all of those they had killed had been Organization members. Perhaps it was an unavoidable fate- they had escaped from there in order to prevent their child from being raised there, but he'd ended up there anyways. They had been watching him all this time, waiting for their chance- and the moment they had one, they took it.

"Yes." Nodding his head, a grim look crossed Daisuke's face. "You could say it's a case of ending up in the wrong place, at the wrong time."

"That's how a lot of these stories go." Paikaru couldn't help but quip, rubbing the back of his neck. Although he had pulled down the surgical mask that he had been using to help conceal his face, and had taken down his hood once he had entered the room, well out of sight of the hallway security cameras, he still hadn't taken off his bike gloves. Couldn't risk leaving fingerprints, after all. "Did ya already get into contact with the FBI?"

"I did." Daisuke told him. "Actually, I was expecting them when I heard the doorbell ring. For a moment, I was scared that the Organization might have caught up with me."

"Ah, sorry about that." Giving him a sheepish smile, Paikaru scratched his cheek. There was a different reason for his apology, but he didn't need to know that now. At the very least, it seemed things were going well- he might actually be able to get that information from him. From the sound of it, there wasn't anything physical to go along with it- so if he didn't hear it from the horse's mouth, it was no good. "I guess I startled ya. So? What's this information ya found out?"

"I can't tell you, Hattori-kun." Daisuke said, shaking his head. "I'll tell your father, but it might be dangerous for you to hear. I'd rather not involve a high school student."

"Why not?" Paikaru blinked, fighting back the urge to click his tongue. _So close, too! Come on an' just spill the beans already! Ya might live a little longer if ya do that much, an' at the very least, yer death will have some kinda meanin'_. "I'm a pretty good detective myself. I've been helpin' my old man out with this already."

Another lie. As far as he knew, his father had _no idea_ such an Organization even existed- and he wanted to keep it that way. Both for his own sake, and for his father's safety.

"I don't doubt that. I've heard of you, after all." Daisuke said, a slight smile emerging on his face, not quite shaking away the traces of stress that lined it. "But I don't feel comfortable discussing it with someone nearly twenty years younger than me. Well, if you stick around until the woman from the FBI shows up, then..."

"She's already on her way here?" Paikaru blinked, narrowing his eyes slightly at the mention of a woman. That was probably Jodie, then- that was bad. If she was already on her way here, then he didn't have time to fool around. If he couldn't get that information, then he at the very least needed to complete his mission quickly. If she caught him here... there was no way that he could explain his presence.

He doubted she'd miss the fact that he was armed, either.

"So I've been told." Daisuke said, letting out a long sigh and slumping back in a chair. "Perhaps your father and the FBI should join together on this matter. I know it's quite a bit for someone who used to be involved with them to say, but they really do need to be stopped."

"Tell me about it." Paikaru muttered underneath his breath, before heaving a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck again. He'd given it a shot- but it wasn't like he could convince him to leave the hotel and bring him to meet his father, otherwise his lies would be revealed. There was no way he could hang around and wait for Jodie either, not unless he planned to kill her too- and he wasn't going to do that.

At least, he hoped he would never have to. If a direct order came his way from someone, then... that was something else he didn't like to think about.

"Hattori-kun?" Daisuke blinked, unable to help as something in the young man's demeanor almost seemed to change, the moment that he seemed convinced that he wasn't going to learn anything from him. That warm, friendly look in his eyes was replaced by something else- a cold, cool calculation, that was quite honestly more than a little terrifying. Someone his age had no right to have such eyes. "Is everything alright?"

"Are ya sure ya really can't tell me anythin', Yoshimura-han? I'd really appreciate it." Paikaru spoke again, letting any traces of Hattori Heiji's personality drop from his voice. _Too bad, Yoshimura-han. It looks like yer time is over_. "If ya really do want ta help ta stop them, now's yer chance."

"What are you saying?" Daisuke blinked, more than a little taken aback in his sudden change in demeanor. Suddenly, he felt a lot less like a high school student, and more like a...

Black clothes and Kansai-ben.

There was no way. It was _impossible_. He was just a teenager! _A child_!

"Oh, it looks like yer startin' ta put the pieces together, Yoshimura-han." Paikaru said, quirking a brow, a trace of an amused grin surfacing on his face. "I'll ask again. Is there any chance ya can pass that information along ta me? I promise I'll be puttin' it ta good use."

Jolting to his feet and reaching for his pistol, Daisuke only ended up letting out a yelp of pain, clutching at the arm he was about to reach out instead. If there were any doubts in his mind, they were gone now- with the smoking barrel of a gun pointed right at him. Why hadn't he suspected something? He already knew about the existence of the Organization's dog, of Paikaru. He already expected that he would be coming after him but...

"I thought the Organization's dog would be _older_." Daisuke managed to get out, even as he clutched at his bleeding arm. No good- he'd shot him right at his elbow. He could barely move his hand. If he reached for his gun again, he didn't doubt that he'd shoot him again. Maybe if he just held out for awhile longer, the FBI would come bursting through this door, and he'd live through this.

At the very least, Paikaru wouldn't be able to escape. If the world knew that the famous high school detective of the west was involved with such people- he couldn't imagine the firestorm that would erupt.

"So is Osaka's _entire_ police force corrupt, or is it just you and your father?" Daisuke couldn't help but ask. Keep him talking, buy some time, and maybe he'd make his way out of this alive. "Sending out a high school student of all things."

"Nah, it's just me." Paikaru stated simply, not letting his regrets surface in his eyes. The traces of Hattori Heiji's personality that he had been using to get his guard down had been sealed away again, Paikaru's mask fixed firmly in place. "My father has nothin' ta do with it either. I just used his name ta get a bit closer to ya- not that it paid off in the end. Too bad."

"I doubt you would have let me live even if I told you what you wanted to know." Daisuke said, narrowing his eyes. God, but getting shot _hurt_. "I've heard your reputation, Paikaru. And it _is_ Paikaru, isn't it?"

"How rude of me not to introduce myself. But yer right. Like ya put it earlier, I'm the Organization's dog, Paikaru." Paikaru said simply. "An' don't try an' scream fer help. Ya chose a hotel that was nearly empty fer a reason. There's no other guests on this floor or the ones above or below, isn't that right? Ya didn't want ta risk bystanders gettin' involved. Touchin' really, if not stupid."

"The FBI are already on their way here, you know." Daisuke almost sneered. "You're not going to escape this one."

"I will." Paikaru said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "I've got a lot ridin' on people not findin' out who I am. So yer right, even if ya talked, I would have still killed ya. Sorry, it's nothin' personal. It's just business, really."

"But you know. If ya talk, maybe you'll by yerself enough time fer the FBI ta get here. Ya said she's a woman, right?" Paikaru asked, a placid smile crossing his face, one that was a far cry from those he normally sported. "I hear there's a female investigator that's been causin' problems fer the Organization. Might be a good idea ta take her out now, when I have the chance."

It was an empty threat, really, but Daisuke had no reason to know that.

"I'm not telling you _anything_." Daisuke said, narrowing his eyes.

"So be it." As Paikaru raised his pistol, Daisuke made a desperate dive for his own.

* * *

"Ah, the man in room 310?" Granted, the receptionist was a little surprised to see two people in one hour ask for the same person, but she supposed there was nothing wrong with that. "Yes, he should be available. Ah, but his other guest might still be with him, since I haven't seen him come back down just yet." He also hadn't come to claim the bag he'd left in the office either, though he'd said he would pick it up on his way out.

"Other guest?" Jodie blinked, somehow managing to keep a note of alarm out of her voice. "Was this other guest by any chance dressed in all black?"

"Yes, he was. If I recall correctly, he was a young man who spoke with a Kansai dialect." She said, nodding her head a little. Frankly, she hadn't even noticed the American woman wasn't alone until she saw her look down, only then taking notice of a child by her feet. Both shared mutual expressions of alarm. "Um, is something wrong?"

"Call the police right away miss, and then hide yourself in the office. There's probably someone _very dangerous_ in your hotel right now." Jodie advised her calmly, fighting to control her tone. That was all the time she had- because Conan was already on the move, racing for the elevator. Letting out a small swear, Jodie bolted after him, barely making it onto the elevator in time.

Now wasn't the time for lectures though. Quickly pulling her gun from her hidden holster, Jodie glanced down towards Conan, only taking a moment to take in that too intense expression on his face. This was bad- they weren't fast enough, it seemed. She knew that the Organization probably had a head start on them, but she had underestimated just how much of one it was. If they didn't hurry...

The gunshot rang out just as the elevator doors opened. It only took them a second to locate the direction room 310 was in, and they didn't waste any more after that, quickly rushing towards the room. Silently advising Conan to stay behind her, and not to come out until she knew the danger was gone, Jodie crept up towards the door, listening inside. Reaching out a testing hand, she narrowed her eyes as she realized the door was locked.

"I'm going to break it down." Jodie said, advising Conan to move back. Gun still in hand, finger safely away from the trigger for the moment, Jodie rammed the door with all of her strength, feeling it budge underneath her weight. Gritting her teeth, she rammed it once more, this time feeling the hinges give way. Even as he shoulders throbbed from the effort, she didn't waste any time in raising her pistol, her eyes narrowing sharply.

"Don't move! FBI!"

In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but notice that the person clad in black was slightly shorter than her. She couldn't make out his face- his back was facing her, and the hood of his hoodie had been raised up. A rather casual style of dress all things considered- this clearly wasn't a member that she had crossed paths with before. Without a doubt though, they were probably someone with a codename.

Yoshimura Daisuke lay dead, slumped half on a chair, a bullet hole in the side of his head. Any hopes of obtaining information from him were dashed. But right now, she had a more important goal- taking this person into custody. Out of the corner of her eye, she could just faintly make out Conan totally ignoring what she had told him to do, and coming out from the safety of the hallway, lifting the lid on his watch.

The hooded figure merely heaved a long sigh. Of course it really _was_ Jodie- he could tell that much from the sound of her voice alone. This was bad- this had been exactly the sort of situation that he wanted to avoid. She probably had a gun trained on him- not that he could tell, seeing as he couldn't see her, back turned to her as it was.

"Drop your weapon and turn around slowly." Jodie instructed him, taking a step into the room. "The police should be here soon."

Well, that wasn't good either. Sorry but he couldn't do what she wanted. Casting a glance up towards the ceiling, his gaze fixing on the light fixture there- the sole source of light in the room. Glancing towards the balcony doors, he noticed that it was quite dark outside as well. If he recalled, the light in the hallway was... The latch on the balcony door was rather simple as well, it probably wouldn't even take a second to unlock, even in the dark. With that in mind...

When he moved, it was quick. Jodie moved in response, but she wasn't quite fast- nor was she expecting him to aim for the room's _lights_ , plunging it into darkness. It was something that caused both parties to swear underneath their breaths- and it was probably a good thing that they couldn't make out Paikaru's figure in the inky blackness that consumed the room, his black clothes all but blending into it.

Aw crap. That was _definitely_ Kudo's voice. He really had no luck, did he?

Still, he didn't let that make him hesitate. Dashing towards the balcony door, he quickly flipped the latch and threw it open, tucking his own gun back away. A faint shine of light towards the floor caught his eye, and he vaguely recalled Conan's wristwatch flashlight- but if he was using that feature, that meant he wasn't able to use his tranquilizing needle right now. That was good.

"He's getting away!" He heard Conan's voice call out- something which was quickly followed by the sound of a bullet whizzing just past his head. Or not just _past_ , he quickly realized, letting out a wince as he felt it trail against his cheek, tearing at the fabric of his hood. A thin line of blood leaked out, even as he planted one foot on the balcony railing- and jumped.

"This is the third floor!" He could hear Jodie's voice make out, and even as he grunted from the force of the landing, feeling it shoot through him, he'd trained for things like this. Not even sparing a glance towards the balcony, and not waiting for himself to fully recover from the jump, Paikaru bolted, heading for where he knew he parked his motorcycle earlier. Not his usual one, of course- that could be linked back to him.

But there was still one loose end he had to take care of first. Reaching into the pocket of his hoodie, Paikaru pulled out a small device, finger vaguely hovering over the button. For a brief second, regret surfaced past the mask, past the practiced act- but it was only a second of hesitation. "Sorry about this. It's really nothin' personal this time."

He supposed he'd _finally_ won a match against Kudo- it just wasn't in the way he wanted.

The explosion that rocked the hotel shortly thereafter came from the ground floor.

* * *

As Conan's eyes lay on the smoldering ruin that was the hotel's office, he couldn't help but feel that he failed. Couldn't come out of this with a loss, he'd thought to himself earlier, gritting his teeth as he remembered it. As they pulled the body of the receptionist out from the rubble, cold and still, he couldn't help but feel that on some level, this was his fault. He should have realized that if an Organization member really was here, then they would have taken action to ensure that nobody who witnessed them would remain alive.

Yoshimura Daisuke was dead, the information he might have had gone with him. The room had been scoured, but nothing that looked like it might be a physical record of it had turned up- he was probably too afraid to make one. A completely innocent bystander was dead, just because she had seen someone's face. And what's worse, the Organization member in question had gotten away, melting into the night as if he was never there in the first place. By the time the police set up a cordon, it was probably already too late.

It wasn't as if they had any idea of what he looked like anyways. His height and body type alone weren't nearly enough to go off of- they hadn't even seen the back of his head, he had been completely covered up. His instincts, however, whispered to him that he had just had his very first encounter with the one known as Paikaru.

His instincts were trying to whisper something _else_ to him as well, but that buzz was so faint and indistinct, that he couldn't quite make it out. It was enough to make him uncomfortable for reasons he didn't fully understand, however.

He had underestimated his opponent, and this was the fallout from it. Was it because everything had been going to smoothly up until this point? Had he gotten a sense of complacency amidst his successes? Or was it just bad luck? Turning his gaze over towards Jodie, who was deep in discussion with the police still, he couldn't help but think that she was thinking along the same lines as well. She had been the one to tell the receptionist to hide in the office in the first place- not that it would have made any difference. The bomb that had been brought in was powerful enough to devastate the reception desk as well.

He'd planned for this.

But there was one thing about this situation that didn't make sense. Why didn't he attack them? He had plenty of chances to. Yet he hadn't even _tried_ to fight back against them, instead concentrating solely on escaping- and through a third story balcony at that. For someone who had gone so far as to blow up the hotel's office in order to erase any traces of himself, it didn't make _any_ sense. If anything, eliminating an FBI agent would have been advantageous to the Organization.

They already _thought_ they had taken Akai Shuichi out of the picture- eliminating Jodie Starling would have left behind only Andre Camel, and their boss, James Black. So why was it that he hadn't even _tried_? It was too inconsistent with his other actions, and while he was grateful for it, in his own way, it just didn't add up.

"Conan-kun." Jodie's voice started him out of his thoughts. She hadn't even noticed her wrapping things up with the police, and making her way back towards him. "I called Agent Camel a little while ago. He's coming to drive you home."

"Eh? But I want to stay and help!" Conan almost whined, amazed that he could even raise up that childish mask of his even in this situation. "There must be something I can do!"

"I'm sure there is, but by the time he gets here, it'll probably already be past your bedtime." Jodie told him, reaching down to lightly ruffle his hair. He put up with it, for the moment. "I'm sure Mouri-san is worried about you."

"I told her I would be staying over at the Professor's tonight." Conan told her frankly. "It'll be fine, Jodie-sensei! I'm not sleepy at all!"

"That may be so, but you're safer back at home." Jodie told him softly. Her frustrations ran deep- just when they thought they finally had a chance to get ahead, it had all been stolen from them. Was it because she hadn't acted fast enough? Granted, she hadn't expected him to aim for the lights- but she still shouldn't have allowed that to make her hesitate. She should have shot him then and there. An Organization member captured alive would be the best, but at least a dead one couldn't cause them any further problems.

This was her failure- but she was going to make up for it.

"But-"

"No buts, Conan-kun." Jodie said, her tone growing sharp, drawing on her experience as a teacher. "Listen to the adults around you for once, please. Don't forget that you're still a child."

Opening his mouth to protest- he wasn't a child, damnit!- Conan eventually shut it again, sensing that now as not the time and place. This was riding on Jodie hard too- and there probably wasn't anything else he could do here to begin with. The source of information and the witness alike were dead, and Paikaru was long gone.

For the first time in a long time, Kudo Shinichi had failed- and while he might have been caught off guard, that was no excuse.

It wouldn't happen again. He wouldn't let it happen again.

No matter what, he'd capture Paikaru.


	5. Traitors and Moles

**AN** : Oh hey, it's chapter five! It would be super nice if people could be so kind as to leave a review after they read, considering this story doesn't really get that many of them! But I thank you for taking the time to read my story, and I hope you enjoy it, even if it can be rather soul shattering at times!

Anyways, until next time!

* * *

 **Black Echo**

 **Chapter Five**

 **Traitors and Moles**

* * *

"What happened to your face, Hattori-kun?"

"Nothin' at all." Grumbling a little at the all too expected question, Heiji turned his eyes away from Ran, all but mentally counting down to Kazuha's interjection. He felt a little bit bad about using her this way, but...

"Ya've got ta listen ta this, Ran-chan!" Right on cue, Kazuha spoke up, a note of clear amusement in her voice. "Not did this _idiot_ get all scratched up by a cat that he was tryin' ta get down from a tree fer someone, but he also went an' fell out said tree on top of that! Hilarious, right?"

"It's _not_ funny, Kazuha." Heiji protested, glowering at her, an expression which was completely ineffective against her amused smile. Rubbing his cheek where he had slapped a band aid on before leaving the house that morning, Heiji heaved a long sigh. Of all the things that he knew about his beloved hometown of Osaka, where all the surliest cats hung out was _not_ something that he ever thought would come in handy. Still, it wasn't like he could go home with an unexplained cut on his face- and getting scratched up by a cat was as good an excuse as any.

Still, if you were going to fool his father, you really had to sell it- which meant picking a fight with an asshole cat, and _losing_. Thanks to that, one cut from the bullet that had just barely scratched his face had turned into any number of scratches. If one of them was somewhat deeper than the others, nobody was really going to question it much. He could only hope that it wouldn't scar.

"I always thought Heiji-niichan was a little more graceful than that!" Conan's childish voice piped up, and in spite of the fact that that it was also his eyes that he wanted to fool, somehow Heiji couldn't stand that mocking tone being directed towards him. "I guess I was wrong, though!"

At the very least, he seemed to buy the story, not even so much as batting an eye at it. He'd been worried about how things would turn out the next time he saw him in person, but it appeared that his worries were for nothing. Even if it was only his back that he had seen, it was a testament to how deep his faith in him was that he didn't even suspect a thing regarding him.

Honestly, he really was the worst.

"Shut up." Heiji grumbled, folding his arms in front of his chest, and leaning back in his chair. That woman from the FBI had good aim- getting this close to shooting him in the head even in the dark- that was one seriously scary woman. "I come out all this way ta pay ya a visit, an' ya just wanna make fun of me the whole time. Honestly, Ku- _nan-kun_ , it's like ya've never learned how ta treat yer guests properly!"

"Come now, Conan-kun, Hattori-kun is right." Ran scolded him lightly, an act that would have been far more touching were it not for the fact that he could make out the glitter of amusement in her eyes. "It's not nice to make fun of someone's misfortune like that. It's really nice that the two of you came over though, Hattori-kun, Kazuha-chan. But I'm surprised- normally when you come here, Hattori-kun, it's because of a case. Are you sure there's nothing this time?"

"Nah, not this time." Heiji told her, flashing her a wide grin. "Besides, not _every_ time I come ta see ya is because of a case. Well, although we do seem ta run into them more often than not when we're together fer some reason." Scratching his cheek- the one that _hadn't_ been traced by a bullet, Heiji gave her something of an awkward laugh.

If there was such a thing as divine punishment, the alarming rate at which he ran into corpses was probably some form of it. Still didn't quite explain how Kudo kept managing to run into them so often- as plagued as he was by not being able to prevent the deaths of Miyano Akemi, and that one culprit from that island, it wasn't as if he had actually done anything wrong himself, at the very least, not to deserve something like that.

"Well, hopefully it _stays_ that way this time." Kazuha huffed, planting her hands on her hips. As he suspected, she was still clearly miffed at him for ditching her to work on what she thought was a simple case- if she knew the truth of what it was he had actually been doing, she would be _beyond_ merely angry at him. Disappointed, betrayed... those feelings were closer to it.

"Well, with that out of the way," Rising to his feet, Heiji pushed out the chair he had been sitting in behind him. "...I'm gonna borrow this kid fer today, Neechan." All but scooping Conan up underneath one arm, ignoring his grumbles at being carried in such a manner, he gave her another broad grin. "You an' Kazuha can have some girl's talk or whatever it is girls do when they're alone together."

"Wait, Heiji!" Kazuha protested, puffing out her cheeks. "We came out all this way, an' yer just gonna take Conan-kun an' run? I thought that we were all goin' ta have some fun together!"

"We can do that later!" Heiji insisted. "Besides, this kid wants ta spend some time with me too, right? Don't ya, kid?"

"That's right!" Conan piped up, that cheerful childish tone in his voice nothing short of a work of art. "I want to spend some time together with Heiji-niichan! I never finished showing him around Beika the last time he was here!"

It was amazing how normal he could act even after something like _that_ had happened- and a surge of guilt shot through Heiji as he dwelled on that. After all, the incident from the other day was entirely _his_ fault- and as much as he tried to hide it, he didn't miss the way Conan's expression shifted whenever he thought nobody was looking at him- the haunted look of someone who had failed yet again.

It was a match that he had no choice but to win, but at the same time, he almost wished that he hadn't. It wasn't a victory that he took any joy in, even if his secret continued to be safe because of it. Maybe if Kudo and that FBI woman had been a little bit faster than him in getting there, things would be different, but... there was nothing that could be done about what had happened now. The past was the past, and there was nothing one could do to fix it, no matter how much they wanted to.

If he had the chance, he would go back in time and make sure that his younger self never ran away with those papers. Maybe there would have been some kind of other trigger for him being forced into the Organization, but he'd never know. He could only hope that there wasn't- he'd hate to think that this sort of thing was his fate.

"Well, if Conan-kun himself says so..." Ran trailed off, a slight frown on her face. "I suppose it can't be helped. Do look after him though, Hattori-kun, sometimes he likes to run off on his own if you don't watch him carefully enough."

"Well that sure sounds like a pain!" Heiji said, casting a rather leering grin down towards Conan, who had folded his arms in front of him, having apparently come to terms with his fate of being carried around like a sack of potatoes. "Don't worry, Neechan, I'll make sure that he stays out of trouble!"

"You stay out of trouble yerself, Heiji." Kazuha told him, giving him a rather pointed look. "Yer just as bad about runnin' off as Conan-kun is, an' yer nearly an adult."

 _Well, this kid's nearly an adult himself, too_. Heiji thought to himself, twitching a little at the snort that Conan let escape from him. "Don't worry about me, Kazuha. Now then, we'll graciously leave ya two ladies alone!" Giving the pair of them a mock salute, Heiji quickly made an exit from the detective agency, shrunken detective in tow, still tucked underneath one arm.

"You can put me _down_ now, Hattori." Conan dryly remarked, glancing up towards him with a rather disgruntled expression on his face once they had made their way downstairs.

"Oh, right!" Glancing down at Conan, he let out a small laugh, carefully setting the pint sized detective down on the ground, beaming broadly at him. Well, if Kudo was impressive at concealing his feelings, he was even better than that- if he was giving away any hints to the complex array of thoughts that were churning through his head right now, he'd be surprised. Well, even though as he thought that, even _he_ was frankly amazed at his ability to act like nothing had happened after he'd gotten so close to everything blowing up in his face right then and there. "Sorry, sorry. So, how did things go after that?"

"After what?" Conan asked, before realizing what it was that Heiji was referring to, and let out a long sigh. His desire to keep his friend far away from this investigation hadn't changed, especially not after the events of the other day. Someone who had been so readily willing to kill an innocent, unrelated person just to prevent her from speaking of what he looked like, was not the sort of person that he wanted his rival to get mixed up with. "Nothing happened after that."

An obvious lie. It was both touching and reassuring to see that even now, Conan was trying to distance him from his investigation of the Organization. And of course, it riddled him with guilt, a feeling that had become a constant companion to him over the course of the past year.

"Really?" Heiji asked, a skeptical note in his voice. He didn't think that Conan would give the truth away that easily, given the circumstances- Paikaru must have left quite an impression on him the other day. It would have marked the first time in awhile that a member of the Organization had managed to outmaneuver him, moving one step ahead of him. Not only had he failed to get the information that he desired, but two people were now dead, and the new Organization member that he had encountered had slipped away from his fingers, without even so much as exposing a hint of his identity.

He could apologize in every language he knew, but it still wouldn't be nearly enough.

"Well, if ya say so, Kudo." Heiji said with a slight frown, playing up the act of the concerned friend to perfection, even as his gut twisted at him, guilt continuing to eat away at him. "But ya know that I'm here ta help ya, right? Anythin' ya need, just give me a call an' I'll come racin' right over ta help."

"I know that." Conan told him, finally meeting his eyes, giving his friend a smile. Honestly, that was what he was worried about. "If something comes up that I need your help with, I won't hesitate to give you a call, Hattori. But seriously, nothing's happened since then."

"Then, it's a promise then!" Heiji declared, standing up straight, a bright smile returning to his face. "Don't leave me in the dark, Kudo. I might not have a flashy FBI badge ta wave around, but I can keep up with ya, can't I?"

"Well, for the most part." Conan said simply, and frankly, it was somewhat good to see that usual note of teasing in his voice. That was more like it. If he could at the very least take his mind of the trouble that he had caused him, and give him a day to relax, then that would be for the best. It wouldn't do anything to offset his sin, and it really wouldn't even do anything to make him feel better- but it was something in his power that he could still do.

For how much longer, he didn't know. Now that Kudo had caught his scent, he probably wouldn't let go of it that easily. He had to enjoy both their friendship, and probably his normal life as high school detective Hattori Heiji, while he still had the chance. Things might change from here on out- and as much as he knew that someday, something like this was going to happen, now that it was looming over him, he had to admit he wasn't quite mentally prepared to handle it.

Well, it was a grave that he had dug himself, he couldn't complain about it now.

"What's that supposed ta mean!?" Folding his arms in front of his chest, Heiji glowered down at his shrunken friend, watching as his expression shifted to that of an amused leer- that haunted expression that had been lingering in his eyes fading somewhat in the presence of his friend.

The friend he _thought_ he could trust.

"Nothing~." Giving him a joking grin, Conan shook his head. Honestly, as much as he wanted to avoid getting Heiji mixed up in all of this, he was somewhat grateful that he had turned up. Out of the blue, as he always did, Conan couldn't help but note, in the back of his mind still half wishing that he would have given him some kind of warning first. He had been doing nothing but running that night over and over again in his head ever since it had happened, wondering where everything had gone wrong, wondering what he could have done to change it.

Having a change of pace would be good for his mental health. It was dangerous to get too fixed on those guys, and sometimes, it was easy for him to forget that.

"Honestly." Heiji huffed. "Anyways, since I came all the way out here, why don't ya pick back up where ya left off with the grand tour the other day? Unless ya've got a case or somethin' that ya've been pokin' yer nose into lately that ya'd rather look into with me."

"If I had something like that, I wouldn't be here right now." Conan pointed out, arching a brow, before giving his friend a smile. "Well, lunch will be on you, _Heiji-niichan_ ~. After all, I'm just a kid, I can't possibly pay for my own food just yet!"

" _Fine_ , but this is going on my tab of things that ya owe me when ya get back ta yer own body, Kudo." Heiji told him, narrowing his eyes.

Well, provided they were still friends whenever that finally happened, that was. Frankly, he couldn't help but doubt that they would.

* * *

"Oh? Here's a face that I haven't seen with you before, Ran-san." Setting down the coffee that she had ordered in front of her, Amuro Tooru glanced over towards the unfamiliar girl sitting across from the already familiar brunette. Judging from the way that they were speaking with each other, it was quite obvious that the two of them were rather close, and likewise, judging from the ponytailed girl's accent, it was clear that she wasn't a native of Tokyo either.

"Ah, Amuro-san." Glancing up at the older man, Ran cast a smile towards him, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "That's right, now that you mention it, you've never met Kazuha-chan before, have you?"

"I don't believe that I've had the pleasure." Shaking his head, Amuro smiled at the unfamiliar teenage girl, a pleasant expression on his face. The name rung a bell with him at least- he'd certainly heard Ran and that strange boy, Conan, speak of the aforementioned girl before. He had actually been wondering for some time when it was that he was going to have a chance to meet her, given how friendly the two of them seemed to be with her. If he recalled correctly, aside from the girl from Osaka, there was another one as well, wasn't there? "It's nice to meet you. I'm Amuro Tooru."

"I'm Toyama Kazuha." Slowly nodding her head, Kazuha smiled up at him. "I've heard Ran-chan talk about ya a few times before, Amuro-han. She says that yer a talented detective."

"Nothing of the sort." Amuro said simply, shaking his head. "I'm merely just a novice still. Ran-san's father is still far more impressive than me."

Well, more like the puppet master controlling him was far more impressive. Still, he supposed that Mouri Kogoro wasn't _entirely_ without merits of his own, even if he never could hope to match up to the young child that followed him everywhere, almost as if he were his shadow.

"Don't say something like that, Amuro-san." Ran told him, a broad grin on her face. Still, it wasn't like she didn't like hearing people praise her father- even if she did worry said praise went to his head sometimes. "You're a really amazing detective yourself! Like the other day, when you and Sera-san helped solve that case at the recording studio. I never would have thought the murder weapon was knitted into the victim's own hat!"

"Heh, did somethin' like that happen?" Kazuha asked. "Sera-san's that high school girl detective from the other day, right? Ya know, from the family restaurant. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get ta see her in action, though."

"Yeah, that's right." Ran said, nodding her head. It was a bit easy to forget the fact that the two of them had already met each other- it had only happened so briefly, after all. "It's too bad that Hattori-kun already left with Conan-kun, though. I would have liked to introduce him to you too, Amuro-san."

"Hattori-kun?" Amuro asked, blinking a little. For some reason, that name rung a few bells with him, and he couldn't help but search his memory, trying to remember where he had heard it before. Perhaps it was simply from Ran herself, who had mentioned it to him before.

"Yeah." Ran told him. "Hattori Heiji. He's Kazuha-chan's childhood friend, and a high school detective. You know, like Sera-san and the Shinichi I mention from time to time. He's actually Shinichi's rival, you know?"

"No, I wasn't aware of that." Amuro confessed, shaking his head. Hattori Heiji... that was definitely a name that he knew from somewhere. Something about the context in which he was hearing it now almost seemed to throw him off, however. "It's a shame that I won't be able to meet him, then. It's always a pleasure to meet a fellow detective."

"Well, aside from kendo, that guy's not of much use beyond solvin' mysteries in the first place." Kazuha said, shrugging her shoulders, heaving a long sigh. "Honestly, comin' out all this way with me an' then ditchin' me ta go hang out with Conan-kun. I can't believe that I'm jealous of a _child_."

"Oh? Is this Hattori-kun on good terms with Conan-kun, then?" Amuro asked, unable to help but find that a bit curious. Usually teenagers weren't really interested in hanging out with children, not unless they had some kind of reason to. However mature Conan was, Amuro found it a bit odd that he would have teenage friends.

"That's right." Ran said, nodding her head. "Whenever they're together on a case, Conan-kun always follows Hattori-kun around, and imitates him. I think he looks up to him a lot. They're like brothers, you could say!"

"Well, sometimes I worry about Heiji teachin' him weird stuff, though. He's not really the best of role models." Kazuha said, resting her chin on a hand, glancing across the table towards Ran. "Ya know, like the other day, with that zombie case."

"Ah, you mean from that recording?" Ran recalled, nodding her head. "Yeah. That was pretty surprising. Although I sort forget about it because of the zombies." She admitted after a moment, giving her a small laugh.

"Zombies?" Unable to help himself, Amuro blinked, more than a little confused by their words. Glancing between the pair, obviously desiring a bit of context for this strange statement, he frowned. "What's this about zombies?"

"Ah, there was a case where a bunch of extras tried to surprise the staff members of a filming crew by dressing up as zombies and pretending to assault the villa they were staying at." Ran told him, giving him something of a sheepish smile. That must have sounded rather strange out of context. "Unfortunately, the one who had planned the surprise had already been murdered by that time, so nobody knew it was going to happen. It certainly took us all by surprise!"

"That certainly does sound surprising." Amuro admitted. Even _he_ might be startled by such a scene.

"It sure was!" Heaving a long, drawn out sigh, Kazuha picked up her coffee cup, staring deeply into the dark brown liquid. "An' after all that, he didn't even bother tellin' me the important thing that he dragged me all the way out there fer in the first place. Honestly, the nerve of that guy."

"Well, I'm sure Hattori-kun will get around to it eventually." Ran reassured her, a slightly awkward grin crossing her face. That moment back by the lake would have been perfect for it- were it not for the sudden appearance of the JSDF. "You know, he's always been a kind of my pace sort of guy."

"Well, that's true." Kazuha said, taking a drink of her coffee, instantly regretting forgetting not to put any milk or sugar in it, quickly slamming it back down on the table. Busying herself with doing that, she spared a glance over towards Amuro. "Ah, but I'm bein' rude. It's really nice ta meet ya, Amuro-han. Is introducin' us the reason ya wanted ta have lunch down here, Ran-chan?"

"No, I actually sort of forgot about that." Ran admitted, giving an apologetic look towards Amuro. "Well, I suppose it all worked out for the best in the end, though. Ah, but we're holding you up, aren't we, Amuro-san? You don't need to hang around us for much longer, you can go ahead and serve the other customers. A few of them are starting to look a bit impatient."

"Ah, you're quite right." Sparing a glance towards some of the other tables, Amuro gave them something of a polite smile. "Well then, I'll take my leave. If you need anything else though, feel free to call me over again."

Politely dismissing himself from the pair of teenage girls, Amuro spared only one more glance back towards them, lingering for a moment longer on Kazuha. Besides it being brought up by Ran, he was almost certain that he had heard the name Hattori Heiji somewhere else before, in a completely different context. Racking his brain and trying to think of what that might be, he pursed his lips together in thought, only half paying attention to the customer trying to place their order. Certainly, if he was a high school detective, he might have shown up in the newspaper once or twice, but somehow, he didn't think that was it.

More importantly, what bothered him the most was the fact that this bothered him _at all_. The existence of one more high school detective really shouldn't be something that tugged at him this way- it was largely irrelevant to anything that he was dealing with, however friendly this one might be with that unusual Edogawa boy.

Hattori Heiji, Hattori Heiji... tapping his pen against the surface of the counter as he relayed the orders to Azusa, Amuro's brows furrowed together. Hattori Heiji. Osaka-ben. High school detective. Digging through his memories, he recalled the time from not all that long ago when Azusa had brought up a pair of unusual guests- one of them a young man with dark skin- hovering in front of Poirot. Not long after that, he had overheard Kogoro mentioning to her that his daughter and the freeloader kid had gone off on a trip somewhere with 'that high school detective brat from Osaka'.

That was probably Hattori Heiji, now that he thought about. Osaka-ben. High school detective. Dark skinned. Narrowing his eyes, he began feel the clouds of thought slowly starting to clear, and at the same time, he felt a cold sensation down the back of his neck. Things were certainly getting clearer for him, but he didn't like what direction his thoughts were heading in.

After all, if one of _their_ number really had been this close to everyone here all this time, why was this the first time he was hearing about it?

A dark skinned young man with impressive deductive abilities, who spoke with an Osakan dialect. He was already quite familiar with that description, but it usually applied to someone else in his mind. Pausing for a moment to pull out his phone, quickly inputting a search, his eyes narrowed sharply, fingers tightly gripping his cellphone as he fought the urge to swear loudly underneath his breath.

He had met the one that some people in the Organization had begun calling Vermouth's dog all of once. It wasn't all that long after he begun hearing word of a new codename working within the Organization, one pulled into the Organization by Vermouth herself. It had been a time before he had earned such a reputation as he had within the group- a reputation that Amuro, of course, had cause to know well. As a double agent, he always had to watch his back, careful not to let his true identity and real intentions slip.

The dark skinned youth had left an impression on him at the time- it had been awhile since he had seen eyes that dead on any living person. Perhaps it was to be expected, a kid that young having already gotten himself mixed up deep enough into the Organization to earn himself a codename. And even though the eyes that were reflected in that photograph that he found attached to the newspaper article his search had brought up were much brighter, there was no way he would mistake that young man for anyone else.

The famous Osakan high school detective, Hattori Heiji. And Vermouth's loyal dog, the Organization member, Paikaru. There was no doubt, they were the same person. Turning his gaze back towards Kazuha, he slowly slid his cellphone back away, carefully assessing her. The girl, at the very least, didn't feel like she had any involvement at all with the Organization- over the years, Amuro had begun to be able to determine that much more or less at a glance.

Whatever her childhood friend was involved, she probably had no idea. The real question here was- did _Edogawa Conan_ realize it? A child as unusually perceptive as he was, and as unusually involved with matters pertaining the Organization as he was- he couldn't believe that he wouldn't know about it, however...

 _"They're like brothers, you could say!"_

There was no doubt in his mind that it wasn't coincidence that he was here. But how? Did that Edogawa boy _really_ not realize the true nature of the one he had befriended? Or perhaps... was Paikaru perhaps not as loyal to the Organization as he first let on? No, there was no way that Vermouth wasn't aware of his activities here. She was also likewise rather interested in the mysterious boy, and given Paikaru's supposed close ties with the woman- was he here because of her? Perhaps she had arranged it so that he would be able to keep tabs on the child.

It was a bone chilling thought.

Whatever the case, he decided that he very much needed to meet this Hattori Heiji person, to make it clear once and for all what exactly his intentions here were- it was possible that there had been a threat to everything he had worked for much closer to him than he could have ever imagined. If that was really the case... then he had to do something about it, and quickly.

Taking in and letting out a deep breath, he turned towards the customer who had called out to him, plastering a business smile over his face, masking his true feelings. "Yes, one moment, sir."

* * *

"Is somethin' wrong, Kudo?"

"Ah, no, it's nothing!" Quickly shaking his head, Conan gratefully reached up to take the iced coffee that Heiji had bought for him, flashing his friend a smile. "I was just thinking about something, that's all!"

"Yer still troubled about that case?" Heiji guessed, pausing to take a sip of his own iced coffee. It was exactly the thing he needed in this sort of heat- he was glad that he had spotted this drink cart out of the corner of his eye. It wasn't only the heat that was starting to get at him, but also his right leg- even when they were as resilient and well trained as he was, jumping out of a third floor window to land on hard concrete below wasn't something that one usually just walked away from without any problems.

"A little." Conan admitted, taking a seat on the nearest park bench. "More importantly, Hattori, is your leg okay? You've been favoring the one for awhile now."

"Yeah, I think I might have pulled somethin' fallin' out of that tree. Either that, or I just hit it in a bad place." Heiji admitted, letting out a breath of relief as he sat down, taking the chance to rub the leg in question. "Well, it should be fine if I just give it some time. Nothin' serious."

"Seriously, you have to be more careful." Conan scolded him, heaving a long sigh. "Falling out of a tree while trying to get a lost cat... I've heard about people doing that before, but I never thought I'd actually meet someone who had. You're just lucky that you didn't hit your head."

"That's true. I'll try ta be more careful next time, Kudo." Sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, Heiji let out an awkward laugh. So he really did believe his lie, hook, line, and sinker. _Honestly, there's such a thing as_ _ **too much**_ _faith, Kudo. Aren't ya even the least bit suspicious of me? The more faith ya have in me, the worse I feel, ya know._

And the more it was going to hurt when he figured out the truth. All the more reason to prevent him from ever doing so, really. If he could get through this entire Organization mess without him learning the truth, then that would be the ideal- but he couldn't picture the members who knew who he was staying quiet about him once the Organization fell.

Unless they couldn't talk anymore, he thought to himself, hoping such a thought didn't show on his face.

"You'd better." Conan advised him, a deep set frown on his features. If he got himself hurt just trying to get a cat out of a tree, there was no way he could involve Heiji in the investigation of either Rum nor Paikaru. So far his friend had the good luck to escape from all the tricky situations that he found himself in relatively unharmed, but that luck was going to have to run out someday. He'd rather not tempt fate.

Still, thinking about Paikaru... turning his gaze away from Heiji, he felt his brows furrow in thought once more. What was it? He had the unpleasant feeling that he knew that back from somewhere, even though he couldn't place exactly where. He was usually better at recalling minor details like this- it almost felt as if his own subconscious was putting up a roadblock.

Well, there was a chance that it might have been his imagination. It was only after thinking long and hard about the image of his back that had burned itself into his memory that he had started getting this feeling- a manifestation of stress, maybe. The last thing he wanted to do was to start becoming suspicious of everyone around him- if he started to give into such feelings of paranoia, nothing good would come out of it.

This would all be so much easier if he were able to sense them in the same way that Ai could. It wasn't like he could use her as some kind of radar for them, however- that would only be putting her in danger. Even though it was largely by pure chance that Bourbon had seen that video of her that the Detective Boys had taken, it had still sent the message home to him loud and clear that he had to be very careful to keep those he was suspicious of from seeing her.

Well, she was right though- most members of the Organization were looking for an eighteen year old girl, not a seven year old. That was part of the reason he could breathe as easily as he could himself. While looking like a child was filled with no shortage of problems, it had some advantages as well.

"Oi, earth ta Kudo."

Breaking out of his thoughts, Conan looked over towards Heiji, realizing that his friend had been calling him for some time now. "Ah, sorry, Hattori. I was thinking about something again. What is it?"

"Honestly, ya really are troubled about those guys." Rubbing the back of his head and heaving a long sigh, Heiji cast a pointed look towards him. "Look, Kudo, I know that yer tryin' ta keep me out of the whole thing because yer worried about me, but I'm not helpless, ya know. Ya can at the very least rely on me a little bit. Even if ya don't want ta involve me in any of yer so-called grand operations, ya can at least tell me what yer worryin' about, ya know?"

Blinking a little at his friend's words, Conan finally cracked a smile, before heaving a long sigh. Was he really that obvious? Well, even if he had taken forever to realize his own feelings for Kazuha, it wasn't like Heiji was completely dense when it came to other people's feelings as whole. He _was_ a detective, after all.

"Sorry, Hattori." Conan apologized again, his all too small hands tightening their grip on the plastic cup. "It's true that I'm worried about getting you involved any further than I already am. You seem to have a knack for finding trouble all on your own, you really don't need me to add to it. It's not like I'm trying to push you our or anything like that, it's just..."

"If something happened to you or Kazuha-chan because of me, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

There it was, out in the open. Closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath, Heiji turned away from the one who so readily viewed him as his best friend. More than ever, that small part of him could be heard almost loud and clear this time, telling him that if he didn't tell him the truth now, that there would be no turning back from here. What would be waiting for him would probably be betrayal, hatred, and rejection, but... at least Kudo wouldn't waste his time chasing after the shadow of someone who had been by his side almost since the start.

"Ya know, Kudo," Heiji began, opening his eyes, fixing his gaze on the too blue summer sky. "Actually, there's been somethin' that I've been meanin' ta tell ya."

That was an unusually serious expression for Heiji, Conan couldn't help but think to himself, blinking a little as he looked up at him. "Tell me? What?"

Opening his mouth, Heiji felt the words all but dance on his lips- before he found himself once more swallowing back, any chance of ever telling him the truth going with them. Even now, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Or rather, especially now, he couldn't bring himself to do it- to let down his friend like this, to reveal that he was one of those that he hated with every fiber of his being.

There was no turning back from here. From here on out, it would be a match between the two of them, even if only one of them knew the other was playing- a match in which their friendship was at stake. A match in which no matter what, he would desperately and selfishly try and protect what he had unexpectedly found for himself, all so he could continue protecting the one by his side in the only way he knew how.

If Kudo found out the truth, he would lose. If the FBI discovered the truth, he would lose. If the Organization figured out the truth... well, if they figured it out, _everyone_ would lose.

"Ya worry too damn much, idiot." Heiji said finally, sending a slight glower down towards his friend. "With that shrimpy body of yers, I should be the one worryin' about ya, throwin' yerself at a dangerous group like that! Yer really not in a position ta lecture me about bein' careful, ya know!"

Unable to help himself, Conan snorted, shaking his head. "You've got a point there." He admitted after a moment, unexpectedly finding himself smiling again. "Then, how about we both promise to be a little bit more careful from now, Hattori? After all, we can't have you dying before you get to confess to Kazuha-chan."

"An' we can't have ya dyin' before ya get ta finally hear the response ta yer confession." Heiji noted, elbowing his friend in the side, a bright smile effortlessly disguising his turmoil of emotions. "But seriously, Kudo, don't worry about me so much. Sure, I'll admit I do have a knack fer findin' trouble, but it's never caught up with me yet!"

"It's the _yet_ part I worry about." Conan pointed out. "Anyways, let's rest here for awhile until your leg recovers a little. Honestly, if you've pulled something in it the other day, you should have let me know before I took you on a walking tour of the city, idiot."

"...Admittedly, I've got nothin' ta say in my defense there." Heiji admitted, scratching his cheek with a slight laugh. "But ya know, Kudo. I meant what I said earlier. If yer in trouble, all ya have ta do is give me a call, an' I'll come flyin' ta be by yer side. No matter what happens, don't doubt that fer a second."

 _Even if ya learn who I really am, that won't change._ Heiji mentally added, sparing a glance over towards the unexpected friend he'd made out of someone he was supposed to have given up to the Organization a long time ago. Be it Hattori Heiji or Paikaru- even if he lost his match with Kudo, he refused to lose the entire game.

No matter what, no matter what it was that he had to do, he would protect those precious to him. Even if that meant doing things that Kudo would hate him even more for.


	6. A Shot of Bourbon

**AN** : Oh hey, it's chapter six! As always, thanks for reading, and thanks to those of you who left reviews last chapter! Don't forget to keep em coming! Tomorrow I'll be working on the very beginnings of another brand new story that should be quite a bit of fun, so I hope everyone looks forward to that as well!

Until next time!

* * *

 **Black Echo**

 **Chapter Six**

 **A Shot of Bourbon**

* * *

"To what do I owe this rather unexpected call, Bourbon?"

Would there ever be a time when this woman's voice didn't create the feeling of something dark twisting up inside of him? Frankly, he doubted it.

"I ran into a rather interesting person today." Amuro said simply, glossing over the fact that he hadn't actually yet met Hattori Heiji in person. Paikaru, he knew, but he could only assume that the face that the Organization member showed to the world on his surface life as a high school detective was entirely different than the face he showed to the ravens and crows that he worked with. Perhaps it was with that face, with that mask, that he had managed to fool someone as perceptive as Edogawa Conan so easily.

According to Ran, both Hattori Heiji and his childhood friend, Toyama Kazuha, would be spending the night with them at the agency. There was no way that Conan would ever allow someone to stay over at that place, with them, if he so much as suspected the first thing about them. Which either meant two things- that Edogawa Conan truly had no idea as to the true nature of the Osakan high school detective, or that Paikaru really was a traitor.

Ironic, given what he specialized in.

And unlikely, given that he was known never to refuse a mission. It was how some had begun referring to him as the Organization's dog in the first place- their loyal guard dog who would do anything to protect his master. In Amuro's case, however, he had come to know the young man for being strongly tied to one member in particular, almost always called in to mop up what very rare messes that she left behind- the very one that he was calling right now.

"Your dog."

"Ah." With a simple click of her tongue, it was quite clear that she understood fully what he meant. "Did you now? What a coincidence."

"Coincidence my foot." Fighting the urge to externalize his grumbling, Amuro instead remained calm and composed. Letting your guard down around Vermouth was not the sort of mistake that you wanted to make- that had been one of the very first things he had learned upon joining the Organization. "You set him up to watch the Edogawa Conan boy, didn't you?"

Others might assume that he had been set up to watch the one known as the Sleeping Kogoro, Mouri Kogoro- but he didn't have a doubt that like himself, Vermouth was well aware that the one pulling his strings was none other than the child always by his side. If he was here, there could only be one reason for it.

The chances that it could merely be a coincidence were rather slim, after all. While there was a chance that in his surface life as a high school detective, Paikaru might have very well ended up needing to approach Kogoro for something, that wouldn't explain as to why he was still around. Given his reputation, there was no way he wasn't aware of Conan's involvement with combating the Organization.

Perhaps he was even privy to whatever secret that the strange boy was keeping, one that he knew Vermouth knew well. He'd never get it from her, and there was no point even trying. She guarded that closer than her life.

"And what if I did?" Vermouth asked simply, merely sparing a glance down at her nails, carefully picking out a bit of dirt that had found it's way underneath one. "I'm sure you know as well as I do, Bourbon, that he's someone that we need to keep a close eye on. Paikaru was more than willing to accept the job."

Not that it was the whole truth, really. To be sure, she _had_ been the one who had ordered Paikaru to search for Kudo Shinichi, to see if he really had died after being poisoned. As the one who was painted by the newspapers at the time as being the rival and equal of the Heisei Holmes, there was no one better suited for the task. Imagine her delight when it had turned out that her hunch was right- that her silver bullet was very much still alive, and was determined to destroy them.

The fact that Paikaru would develop genuine feelings of friendship for him, to the point of betraying the Organization for it, was beyond her expectations, however. Well, in the first place, she had never ordered him to look for Shinichi in the first place so that he could kill him, so really, it all worked out for her. It was convenient to her that there was someone by his side, who would come whenever he called, for whatever he needed, even to the point where he was willing to put himself at risk for him. Granted, she had never given Paikaru implicit instructions to watch over him- but he would do that without her even needing to tell him to.

It was as if the boy had unwittingly befriended a stray, one that he had no idea actually had a master already, to continue with the ever so popular dog metaphor.

"I would have liked to have been _informed_ of it." Amuro said simply, narrowing his eyes. Just as he thought, he really _was_ here on Vermouth's orders. "You had plenty of chances to tell me as much, Vermouth. Unless there's a _reason_ that you decided not to."

"No reason at all." Vermouth told him. In truth, she had never brought it up because she knew that it would complicate things- if she had known that such a thing would happen in the future, she never would have introduced the two of them two years ago. Well, even her foresight was perfect. "Even _I_ periodically let things slip my mind, Bourbon. There should be no problem, though. His role there is merely to keep tabs on his development, nothing more. His young age makes him ideal for that in a way that many of our other members aren't suited for."

"To what end, though?" Amuro couldn't help but ask. "If you've had your dog this close to his side all this time, I can't help but wonder why you've never made much use of him before this."

"I simply don't want to use up a card at my disposal before it's time." Vermouth replied. "And as of yet, it hasn't been. Once he loses that boy's trust, there likely will be no getting it back, after all. Everything that I've worked so hard to build would come crashing down."

One of Paikaru's worst fears, she knew.

"Does he really trust him?" A note of obvious disbelief in his voice, Amuro adjusted his phone slightly, shifting it to his other hand. "For a boy as bright as Edogawa Conan, I find that hard to believe."

" _Implicitly_." Vermouth told him. "Well, I do hope that you do nothing to interfere with his mission there, Bourbon. He's a rather vital card to me. If something were to happen that put his identity at risk..."

"I would never think of such a thing." Amuro said shortly, even as he narrowed his eyes. If Paikaru really had established that level of trust with Conan, then there was a chance that the strange child might actually be open with him in regards to the secrets that he hid from the world. Perhaps the question should not be how much Paikaru knew about Conan, but rather, how much did Paikaru know about _him_?

If by any chance, he knew about his identity as Furuya Rei, as a member of the Secret Police who had infiltrated the Organization, then he needed to take action as soon as possible. Child or not, a risk was a risk, and needed to be nipped in the bud as soon as possible.

How he would do that without drawing the attention of not only Vermouth and the Organization, but also the attention of _Hattori Heizo_ , who shockingly enough, appeared to be Paikaru's father, he wasn't quite sure yet. He would have to figure it out- as well as figure out what, if any, connection the head of Osaka's police force had to the Organization.

Hopefully none. If a man of his reputation was connected with the Organization, then he couldn't even imagine the implications that it would have.

"That's good, then." Her lips twisting into a tight smile, Vermouth wondered if she should give Paikaru a call herself. She decided against it, however. It was true that she was slightly interested in him, but it wasn't to that degree. Besides, he would likely be able to figure a way out of the situation himself. As amusing as it would be to give him a call when he was clearly spending time with Conan, it really wasn't quite worth it. "Hopefully the two of you can cooperate with each other. You should give him some guidance, as his elder, Bourbon."

"Ah, that's right. Would you care for his phone number?" Vermouth asked. His work phone number, of course- he wasn't about to give him the number to Heiji's personal cellphone.

"I would. Send it to me via mail." Amuro curtly replied. "As for the other thing, well, we'll see about that. Well then, do excuse me." Hanging up, he let out a long breath, for a moment gripping his phone tightly. Quickly regaining his composure, he felt his cellphone buzz lightly in his hand, checking to see that Vermouth had delivered on her promise, and turned back to his computer. Ever since he had gotten off of his shift at Poirot, he had spent most of his time pouring through all the articles that he could find on Hattori Heiji, trying to get a firm grasp on what he was like.

The image that they painted of him was quite different from that of the dead eyed fifteen year old that he had been introduced to that day, two years ago. Vermouth had done it on a whim, doubtlessly, as she seemed to do many things- at least on the outside. At the time, there had been the smallest bit of sympathy contained within him- the Organization was no place that a child should be. He certainly wasn't the only one, as there were many born and raised within the Organization. However, child or not, it didn't change the things that he had done, nor make them more forgivable.

How many people had Paikaru killed already, or otherwise lured to their deaths? He had long since been wondering exactly how he managed to get close to them so easily- but his surface life explained that. Nobody would suspect a high school detective of his reputation to be involved with the Organization, and in the presence of what they assumed to be an entirely unaffiliated party, they would doubtlessly let their guard down.

And that would be the opening he would look for.

If he hadn't met him two years ago, Amuro couldn't help but wonder if he would even notice. Over the years, he had gotten pretty skilled at determining who was and wasn't with the Organization- but if he could fool even Edogawa Conan, then it was highly likely that he might be deceived as well.

But fortunately, fate had granted him the upper hand this time. And with that upper hand, he would confront Paikaru, to really see what his true intentions were, and exactly how much he knew about him. All without letting him know that he was fishing for information, of course. Sure, he might have a reputation for being skilled, but a child was still a child- and he'd gotten rather tired of being outmaneuvered by another child already. It was high time he put a stop to that sort of thing.

* * *

Seriously, of all the luck.

He should have guessed that something was up when Conan insisted that they could return the agency by car, instead of walking or taking the train. He'd been worried about his leg ever since he had noticed the slight limp that overworking it brought to him, and had been very insistent that it would be for the best if they just relaxed inside of a car, rather than deal with the trains, where he might very well have to stand up. They would still have to walk from the train station to the agency as well, he had said.

When he put it like that, Heiji couldn't exactly refuse. Still, for some reason, he had suspected that the one he would call would be that Professor of his- but instead, the one who had showed up was a woman he'd only _technically_ met all of once- at least under his own name, that was. He might have come out all of this way to ensure that Conan really didn't suspect anything of him after encountering each other as detective and Organization member, but meeting Jodie Starling again so soon after the incident was another thing entirely.

Okay, so riding in the car was kind of nice, at least. His leg was starting to bother him more and more. No doubt Kazuha would lecture him when they got back to the agency for being so careless. Honestly, it wasn't like he had wanted to jump down three stories onto hard cement- he'd had no other choice! It was either that, or shoot Jodie and expose himself to Kudo, which obviously was not something that he could do.

If he had been _certain_ that Jodie was alone, he might have very well shot her, though. Unfortunately, he knew himself well enough to know that, even though he'd been surprising himself over and over again in the past year. But at the end of the day, he knew full well how quickly he would resort to the option of murder if it meant protecting what he needed to protect- regardless of who it was. A second of hesitation had been all that he'd been able to dredge up, but sentencing that poor desk clerk to death, blowing up the security recordings along with her, erasing all traces of himself from that place.

As much as he would have liked to think that he wouldn't sacrifice one of Kudo's allies so easily, it wouldn't do him any favors to lie to himself. He was perfectly capable of doing so- after all, he had so easily killed what may have very well been someone with critical information that could have helped him bring the Organization down. Sure, he'd tried his best to get it from him first, but there was only so much he could do if the guy wasn't willing to talk.

"Eh, so you hurt your leg falling out of a tree, Hattori-kun?" Jodie asked, glancing back at him. She had been a bit surprised when Conan had called her, and had assumed at first it had something to do with them- but as it turned out, he just needed a ride- more for his friend than himself. He had already asked the Professor, only to find out that he was having car trouble, so Jodie ended up being his next choice.

"Y-yeah. As much as I hate ta admit it." Nodding his head, Heiji flashed her a quick, somewhat awkward smile. The last time he had formally met this woman was when he had been trying to verify her identity for Vermouth. Thanks to that, he had been able to establish that she most likely was with the FBI. It churned his gut a little that his actions that day had allowed Vermouth to gain the upper hand in their showdown, if only for a moment, before Conan turned the tables on her again. If he hadn't taken the actions on that night that he had, going out of his way to ensure that the Haibara girl could get to him...

Well, things might have ended differently.

Still, even he was surprised that Ran had gotten herself involved. Kudo had sure found himself one hell of a woman. One hell of a woman who didn't doubt would also hate him if she were to learn the truth, that he was connected with those very same people who had caused her beloved childhood friend disappear in the first place. He could only hope that it wouldn't end up damaging her friendship with Kazuha- because odds were if Ran knew, at that point, everyone would know.

He didn't think so though. Even if the forgiving and kind Mouri Ran wouldn't forgive him, he was certain she _would_ forgive Kazuha, who had no actual involvement other than unwittingly being friends with a murderer.

"Well, don't worry about it too much, Hattori-kun. I actually did that once myself when I was your age. If I recall correctly, I was trying to get a kite that had been stuck in a tree." Jodie reassured him, glancing back towards him. She couldn't help but let her eyes fall on the bandage that covered one of his cheeks, but soon found herself looking back towards the road. Conan had told her, with no small deal of undisguised laughter, that Heiji had gotten into a fight with a cat that he had tried to get down from a tree for someone, and had ended up falling out of said tree.

Well, it was good to see that even after what had happened not so long ago, he could still show that kind of expression. Sometimes she worried that he forgot he was a child, however smart he was. Just as she had gathered from the one time when he had visited her with the one she knew to be the high school detective from Osaka who was said to be the rival of that Kudo Shinichi boy, it appeared that the two of them were good friends. She couldn't help but wonder if Heiji had come out all of this way in an effort to cheer him up.

She didn't doubt that he knew _something_ about the Organization, given his disguise act on that ship. Conan had never told her as much in so many words, but given his mother's talent for disguises, she didn't doubt that the two of them were behind Heiji's own that night.

"Heh, is that right? I wouldn't have pictured ya fer the type, Jodie-han." Heiji asked. As much as her gaze lingered on his bandaged cheek, it didn't appear that she suspected anything from him either. Professional or not, if Kudo didn't, there was no way a woman who had only met him once would. He had to fight back the urge to let out a sigh of relief. For the moment, his secret was still safe.

Because seriously, as much as he knew he would do it if he thought it would protect it, he didn't actually _want_ to have to kill her. Well, maybe there was a chance that he could play up her sympathy- he was pretty certain that if he provided her a chance to get Vermouth, she'd almost be willing to overlook the whole thing entirely. He didn't know the details of it, but he'd heard from Kudo that Jodie had a pretty strong desire to get revenge against her.

Well, if he did something like that though, he would be at high risk of making the entire Organization his enemy. Shooting her might actually be _easier_.

Seriously, he really _was_ the worst.

"It did. I ended up spraining my ankle pretty badly, too." Jodie told him, shaking her head as she remembered. It had been rather embarrassing for her at the time too, but now it was nothing more than an amusing memory. "Ah, that's right, Hattori-kun, I hear you helped out one of my coworkers the other day. You and that Kudo Shinichi boy."

"Ah, that big guy?" Heiji blinked, shooting a dirty look over towards where Conan was seated up in the front as she brought up that case. Honestly- he cherished his friendship with him, and would protect his secret with his life, if that was what it took, but he had another thing coming if he thought he would ever get away with speaking that lousy Osaka-ben again. "Nah, that was no problem. I'm a detective, after all. Still, I was pretty surprised when I found out that he was an FBI agent. He really doesn't look like it!"

Well, he'd been aware prior to that actually, but since he'd never had the chance to see Andre Camel in person, it hadn't been that hard to fake his surprise. He was a _little_ bigger than he had thought he was from the photographs.

"He gets that a lot, actually." Jodie said, letting out a small laugh. "Ah, it looks like we're here. It was nice having a chance to speak with you again, Hattori-kun. And it was nice to see you again as well, Conan-kun." Casting him a look that seemed to silently ask how he was doing, and if there was anything else that he needed to discuss with her, she let out a small breath as he shook his head.

It was obviously weighing on him, as much as he tried to act otherwise. Having his friend here would definitely do him good, she thought, watching as Heiji got out of the back of her car.

"Thank you for driving us, Jodie-sensei!" Conan told her, the usual chirp that would have been in his voice at a time like this very noticeably absent. She figured he didn't quite have the energy for it if he didn't need it.

"It was nothing, Conan-kun. I happened to be needing to go in this general direction anyways, so you called at a good time." Jodie told him, giving him a small smile. "I hope that you have a good time with your friend."

"Yeah, me too." Conan agreed, giving her a small nod of his head. As much as Heiji was providing him with a very well needed distraction, he knew that as soon as he went home tomorrow, it would be back to worrying about what had happened again. The sooner that he got to the bottom of Paikaru's identity, the sooner he could prevent something like this happening again- and maybe finally, they would be able to get their hands on a genuine Organization member.

Because there was _no way in hell_ those were the actions of a mole.

"Ya done with yer private chat with the FBI lady?" Heiji asked, watching as Jodie drove off, leaving the two of them behind, in front of the detective agency.

"I wasn't doing that." Conan told him, shooting a look up towards him. "I was trying to get the Professor to drive us at first, but he was having car trouble! Jodie was just the first person with a car that I could think of!"

"Calm down, Kudo. I didn't say I didn't believe ya." Heiji told him. "Geez, gettin' angry like that all the time is gonna stunt yer growth, ya know."

"I don't want to hear about anger problems from you, Hattori." Conan said dryly, quirking a brow. "You have all people have no right to lecture anyone else."

"Well, yer probably right." Heiji told him, flashing him a quick grin. "But still, I don't think my anger issues are-" As he felt a faint vibration coming from his jacket's inner pocket, Heiji quickly snapped his mouth shut, forcing his expression not to change. That, he knew, was not the pocket he had tucked his personal cellphone into.

Why of all times, were they contacting him _now_?

"Ah, sorry, Kudo. It looks like I have a phone call." There was no way he could pull out _that_ phone in front of him. "Let me take this real quick, an' I join ya upstairs, okay?"

"Sure, no problem." Conan told him with a quick smile. "Then, I'll head on first." With a quick wave of his hand, he headed upstairs to the detective agency, where he knew that Ran and Kazuha would waiting for them, so that they could all go out to dinner.

It was only once he was certain that Conan was gone that Heiji dared to remove his work cellphone, eyes narrowing as they glanced down at the number. It wasn't one that he recognized, but that in and of itself was nothing new. Happened all the time, really. Distancing himself a bit so that he wasn't standing in front of the Detective Agency, finding a location where he was certain nobody would overhear him, he answered the phone.

He all but felt Paikaru's mask slip into place effortlessly, any traces of a lingering smile wiped away.

"Who is this?"

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line, causing Paikaru's frown to deepen. When the person on the other end of the line finally spoke up though, he fought the urge to swear underneath his breath.

"I believe that we've met once before, Paikaru." There was no mistake- the voice on the other end of the line was Bourbon's. How did he get his number? Did Vermouth have something to do with this? Suddenly, a feeling twisted at his gut, nearly cracking his mask, a deep worry manifesting within him- not for himself, he was actually surprised to find, but for Kazuha, who had been left behind here. He knew that guy worked part time at the cafe below the detective agency, but what if he had...

Somehow, none of this came out in his voice. "Bourbon, right?" He asked cooly, calming the raging fires of his temper, somehow containing his worry. No, no, Ran was with Kazuha- it was probably alright.

"I'm pleased that you seem to remember me. That makes things easy." Bourbon said simply. "It turns that the two of us have rather similar assignments, though I've only recently become aware of such. I'd like to meet with you to discuss such matters, if that's not too much of a problem."

Narrowing his eyes, Paikaru briefly wondered if this was some kind of trap. There was a chance that Bourbon was planning on selling him out to his friends in the Secret Police, wanting to get a bothersome factor out of his life. Still...

"What a coincidence." Paikaru said simply. "I've been thinkin' that I need ta talk with ya as well. How about we meet in front of Beika Station around twelve?" Like hell he was going to let him set the terms of where they would meet- if it was someplace public, at the very least, his options were going to be limited.

And he clearly realized this, given the pause on the other end of the line. For a moment, he thought that he might not go along with it, and then- "Very well. Twelve, in front of Beika Station. I'll be looking forward to having a chance to properly speak with you, Paikaru. Or I suppose I could call you _Hattori-kun_?"

"Should I call ya _Amuro-han_ , then?" Paikaru asked, gripping his cellphone tighter at the mention of his real name. "Twelve. Don't be late." Hanging up his cellphone before the mole agent could get in another word, he grumbled down at it, glowering at the screen of the black cellphone, now actively swearing underneath his breath in every language that he could manage, at this development.

Seriously, he had no luck.

* * *

Sneaking out of the Mouri apartment had been the hard part. He already knew full well what a light sleeper Conan was, and moving without stirring him was nothing short of a challenge. Still, he had managed it, carefully slipping out of the apartment without waking anyone. On the off chance any of them noticed that he was gone, he'd need to think of a good excuse- taking a walk to work off a fit of insomnia seemed as good as any, he thought. Just in case, he triple checked to make sure that no one had followed him, half wishing that he had the forethought to bring something with a hood with him. He felt half naked without one, and instead settled for tucking his cap down as low as it could go over his face.

Thankfully, nobody paid him so much as a second glance, as he put up the facade of being absorbed in his cellphone, acting as if he was sending messages to someone. Just in case, he arrived at the station thirty minutes early, to scout out if there really was anyone watching the place. For the moment, he couldn't sense anyone- so either they were really well hidden, or Bourbon really was coming alone.

If things went south, he probably didn't want to risk having his Secret Police ties exposed- or perhaps there was a chance he already half expected him to know about them, given his close ties to Conan. Thankfully, Kazuha had mentioned meeting Amuro when he had asked her what she had done today with Ran. He didn't get the impression from the way she spoke that Amuro had let anything slip around her, which was good.

"Did I keep you waiting long?"

Barely sparing a glancing up towards Bourbon, Paikaru tucked away his cellphone. "Ain't that somethin' ya ask a date?" He couldn't help but ask, quirking a brow as he finally turned to face the older detective. Tucking his hands in his pockets and narrowing his eyes, he took the time to carefully study his face- one that he'd also decided to obscure with a cap worn low over the brow.

"I wasn't aware you had a sense of humor." Bourbon noted. "I suppose that you don't want the two of us to talk right here, however. Even at this time of night, there are still plenty of people around."

"There's a park near here, if I recall." Paikaru said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "We can go there. Probably not many people there around this time of night."

"Fair enough." With a slight shrug of his shoulders, Bourbon carefully watched as the young man before him stood up straight, motioning with his head for him to follow him. He was rather surprised that he was willing to show his back to him- perhaps he didn't know about his Secret Police ties after all. Just because they were on close terms, certainly didn't mean that Conan was going to divulge everything he knew to him.

It was only when the two of them were alone, that Paikaru turned back around on his heel, facing the blonde. "Well?" He asked, tilting his head to the side. "I heard there's somethin' ya needed ta talk ta be about, Bourbon. Spit it out already, I don't have all night."

"An impatient one, aren't you?" Bourbon couldn't help but observe, slightly pursing his lips together. Those dead looking eyes that he had seen in the fifteen year old boy two years ago didn't quite appear to be there any longer, having grown colder in their stead. "Imagine my surprise to find out there was another Organization member other than me watching that boy. Vermouth told me that she assigned you to keep tabs on him. Ever the faithful dog, aren't you?"

"Heh, is that what she told ya?" Paikaru asked, tilting his head to the side, rubbing the back of his neck with a long sigh. It seemed that she was still covering for him, for whatever reason. He could do without the dog comment, even if it _was_ true. "Well, I guess that's true. It's an easy mission, after all. I've just gotta act friendly with some kid. No big deal. Ya gotta problem with it?"

Whatever he said here, he couldn't let him in on the fact that Conan was anything more than a child.

"Hardly." Bourbon said simply, shaking his head. "I just find it interesting that you managed to gain his trust so easily. He was suspicious of me right from the start, after all."

"Maybe yer actin' sucks?" With a shrug of his shoulders, Paikaru couldn't help but let the edge of a grin quirk on his lips. "He's pretty perceptive, for a kid, after all. Well, I guess I don't have ta tell ya that much at least." Locking eyes with him, his brows furrowing together in a glower. "Ya aren't plannin' on mentionin' any of this ta him, are ya?"

"I fail to see how that would benefit me in any way." Bourbon told him simply. If word leaked about Paikaru's identity so quickly, after all, it would be obvious as to who the source would be. It wasn't a risk that he could take. "I must say though, I'm surprised you can put up with dealing with a child, however smart this one is. Judging from your reputation, that's not the impression that I have of you at all."

"What's that supposed ta mean?" Unable to help himself, Paikaru grumbled, folding his arms in front of his chest. "I'll have ya know, I can be a pretty friendly guy if I want ta. It's in my nature, after all." Well, or at the very least, it was a part of his nature once again, no thanks to both Kazuha and Kudo alike.

"I meant nothing by it." Bourbon was quick to reassure him, simply lifting his hands to either side, shaking his head. "I do believe that you mentioned that there was something you wanted to discuss with me as well though, Paikaru."

"I suppose I did say that." Paikaru admitted, carefully watching him. So far he had continued to play the act of a loyal Organization member, and there was a chance that he could pull through this with that. He still didn't sense anyone following them or watching them, so at the very least, it didn't seem as if Bourbon intended to sell him out to his Secret Police contacts just yet. "I've had the advantage fer awhile now, knowin' that ya've been creepin' around here. S'why I've been tryin' ta avoid ya, fer the most part."

"That girl ya met at the cafe today. She's not involved." He said after a moment. "Well, ya probably realized that much just from talkin' ta her. She followed me when I was showin' 'em around Osaka once, an' she's been friends with Neechan ever since."

"I did get that impression." Amuro noted, unable to help quirking a brow. Was this girl really someone that he cared about to the point where he wanted to be sure he knew that she wasn't with _them_? So even the Vermouth's dog had people that he cared about- he had to admit, he was surprised. Perhaps there was something human in there after all. "Very well, I'll keep that in mind. I suppose you mean to say you want me to hold my tongue around all of them, then?"

"That's the basic gist of it, yeah." Tucking his hands back into his pockets, Paikaru once again leveled his gaze with him. If he was going to take a gamble, it was now or never. "Besides, I'm pretty sure there's things about yerself that ya wouldn't want certain people in the Organization ta know about ya, _Amuro-han_."

At the quick way his eyes narrowed, the only outward sign of his otherwise contained reaction, he knew that he had caught his drift. "Oh? And what would those things be?"

"There's need ta play dumb, ya know." Paikaru said simply, feeling a slight smirk cross his features. "I know all about it. That ya have a _certain connection_ to a _certain group_."

"And what exactly do you plan on doing with this information?" Carefully reaching one hand behind him to where he had hidden his gun, Bourbon carefully watched the young man before him, gauging his reaction. Had he learned as much from the Conan boy? Was Vermouth perhaps already aware of his true identity? Whatever the case, if he really did know, he would have to be taken care of rather quickly. He couldn't put himself at risk like this.

"Nothin'." Paikaru said simply, shrugging his shoulders, not missing the flabbergasted look that briefly crossed through Bourbon's eyes. "Frankly, I don't give a damn about yer Secret Police ties, Bourbon. I just wanna be damn sure ya don't tell the people around me about who _I_ am. Well, I'd also prefer if ya didn't try an' sell me out ta yer coworkers or anythin' like that. There's things I need ta do."

"I thought your speciality was hunting traitors." Bourbon observed, hand not yet moving away from his gun. He didn't think that Paikaru had any weapons on him- he wouldn't have dared to bring one with him to that boy's place. "To what do I owe this change of heart?"

"It's got nothin' ta do with ya, don't make a mistake." Paikaru said simply, for a moment, letting a bit of Hattori Heiji flash through his eyes underneath the mask, allowing his regrets to surface. "Let's just say I'm not just playin' at bein' that kid's friend, an' leave it at that."

"You know what he's about, don't you?" Slowly moving his hand away from his gun, carefully observing the young man in front of him, Bourbon's lips twisted in a tight frown. For a moment, the cold, hard look had disappeared, leaving nothing more than regret in it's place- before it vanished once again, almost as if it had never been there. "He's trusted you that far, hasn't he?"

"I figured it out mostly on my own." Closing his eyes, Paikaru let out a long breath, allowing his mask to come off, for the moment, returning to being no one more than high school detective, Hattori Heiji. "I'm not tellin' ya, though. Ya might be a mole, but I don't trust ya that far. 'Sides, it's not my call ta make anyways."

Letting out almost a bark of laughter, Bourbon shook his head, quickly realizing what was going on here. "So the infamous traitor hunter turned traitor himself, and all for the friendship of a child?"

"Yeah." Heiji told him frankly, scratching a cheek, slightly sheepish. "I owe that kid a lot, ya know. That's the deal, Amuro-han. Yer silence fer my silence. Though I guess ya could still shoot me right here. The kid would look fer me though, so I don't really advise it. Not to mention my _old man_."

There was a slight pause then, as Amuro considered his words, placing a hand on his chin. "On two conditions. One, you assist me as much as you are capable of." The kid was walking a tightrope as it was, and Amuro never was the type to waste the resources that he had been given. As far as he could gather, it was unlikely that he had any allies of his own- given the fact that one of his conditions was keeping the truth from Conan, it would appear that he really did have no idea of his friend's own Organization connections. "And two- is your father involved with the Organization?"

"No." Heiji said simply, shaking his head. "I'm not even sure he knows it exists. As fer yer first condition..." Trailing off a little, he rubbed the back of his neck, giving it some thought. Well, he had already gone this far, there wasn't any turning back now. "Fine. I'll do what I can. But I don't wanna see the people around me get hurt, ya got it?"

"I understand that very well." Amuro said simply, resisting the urge to let out a very deep sigh of relief upon learning that the chief of Osaka's police had no Organization ties. "Very well, Hattori-kun. We have a deal."

"Good." Flashing him a wide grin, Heiji's eyes nevertheless carried a warning in them. "Ya best be sure ta keep it."

* * *

"Hattori?"

Slowly blinking awake, yet still having the awareness to keep his voice at a whisper so that he didn't disturb the still slumbering Kogoro, Conan dimly turned towards his friend, having been roused by the slumber by the sound of what turned out to be him changing his clothes.

"Oh, sorry, did I wake ya, Kudo?" Dropping his voice down to a whisper, Heiji paused, folding up the shirt he had just taken off, crouching down next to his shrunken friend. "Didn't mean ta. Ya can go back ta sleep."

"Did you go somewhere?" Conan whispered, dimly recognizing those as the clothes that he had worn today, and not the pajamas he had changed into when he went to bed. "It's late, you know."

"I couldn't sleep, so I went fer a walk. Fortunately I remember where that old man always puts his keys ta this place." Heiji told him, giving him a quick grin. "Well, gonna try an' get back ta bed again. Maybe I'll be able ta doze off this time."

"I see." Slowly blinking, Conan let out a loud yawn, curling back up underneath his blankets. "Well, good luck with that, Hattori."

"Thanks." Watching as Conan slowly shut his eyes again, Heiji smile quickly faded from his face, changing quickly back into his night clothes, and slipping in the futon that had been laid out next to Conan's.

He could sneak out in the middle of the night, and he still had faith in him. Unbelievable. If he really had been here on nothing more than Vermouth's orders, only pretending to be friends with him, he might never see the inevitable betrayal coming. At the very least, Heiji thought to himself, slipping underneath his blankets- he was on his side now.

When it came down to it, he doubted it would matter much. When it came down to it, he knew that the trust that Conan had in him would never be restored- nor would their friendship.

And when it came down to it, in reality, Heiji already knew that he was probably going to end up paying for what he had done, one way or another. He could only hope that when he did, he wouldn't drag anyone down with him.

"G'night, Kudo." Laughing to himself as that earned him a faint, half asleep protest to not use that name, Heiji closed his eyes, having a feeling that sleep wouldn't be coming to him tonight.


	7. Women of Black

**AN** : Hello, hello, I'm back from my vacation and had a very nice time! Back to writing multi-chapter fic for everyone to enjoy! Here's the next chapter of Black Echo, hot off the presses! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a review if you can. Until next time!

* * *

 **Black Echo**

 **Chapter Seven**

 **Women of Black**

* * *

The joyous sound of children's voices was almost completely at odds with the overall atmosphere of the Organization, and yet, even within it's depths, there was still one such place where they could be found. At the very least, until such things were forced from the children who still didn't fully understand the cruel card that fate had drawn for them, one that most of them would never be able to escape from.

And it was in such a place that one could find _her_ , when she wasn't on a mission, nor when she was working either her surface job, or the job that she hid from the rest of the world- but most especially from her fellow Organization members. She had always had a soft spot for them, right from the start- perhaps it was the fact that she was an older sister herself that prompted her to feel pity for these children, who were born into a place where they would never truly know freedom.

The only people to blame were their parents, really, for being involved with _them_ in the first place. The children hadn't asked to be born into such a life, and were therefore innocent- until such innocence was trained out of them, provided they turned out to be useful to the Organization as anything more than a hostage. That was exactly the kind of life, he supposed, that his biological parents had tried to run away from, hoping to escape and live freely with the one who had still been growing inside of his mother at the time.

Such a thing hadn't happened. In the end, it wasn't the Organization that had caught up with them, but rather law enforcement. They had left too much of a trail in their attempt to get away, and the Organization had quickly acted to sever any ties their victims might have had to them, erasing any traces of their existence. It couldn't be helped. There was never any clear cut plan. To begin with, his mother had never planned to become pregnant- but once such a thing happened, she felt that she couldn't stay. It was a ridiculous story, really- to think that such a love could blossom within the depths of the Organization, between his biological parents, people he had never met. To think that the they would go to such lengths for a child that they had never got to meet- and to think how worthless it had all turned out to be in the end.

Sometimes, it made him want to laugh, even though it wasn't the least bit funny.

Of course, this was information that he had learned secondhand, from Vermouth, nonetheless. He still wasn't sure why she had chosen to tell him about it- nor was he certain why she did _anything_ , for that matter. As much as people within the Organization liked to refer to him as her dog, he really didn't understand a damn thing about her.

But _she_ wasn't the one he was looking for today. Rather, he was looking for someone who was much easier to understand. Far easier to understand even than the likes of Bourbon- and considering that matter had been dealt with rather well, two weeks ago now, he thought it was about time he made contact with the _other_ mole that he knew of in the Organization, and play his cards with her.

The CIA agent, Hondou Hidemi.

Kir.

"I never imagined you as being the type to be good with children, Paikaru." In the end, she was the one who called out to him first, drawing his attention away from the pair of twins he had been speaking with. It was about nothing important, really- a meaningless conversation. "But I hear you come here often."

"From time ta time." He might have been raised in a place like this, after all, if things had gone differently for him. He couldn't help but wonder how different a person he would be then- he probably wouldn't be a traitor, if that was the case. Probably never would have even had the occasion to meet Kudo Shinichi, and to have such thoughts enter his head. Waving a hand to the twins as they sensed that it was best to make themselves scarce- even at such a young age, they already knew not to involve themselves when two codenames were talking to one another. "I hear ya come here a lot yerself, Kir. Ya like kids?"

"I don't dislike them." Kir said simply. "Is there something wrong with that?"

She was easy to understand, so there was no doubt that she was already thinking of something that she could do for these children if and when the Organization crumbled. She doubtlessly didn't want them caught up in the middle of it, and if she could, she doubtlessly wanted to save them. Children were innocent, after all, even if in a few years, some of those here may very well no longer be.

"No, there's nothin' wrong with it." Paikaru said simply, shrugging his shoulders as he rose to his feet, casting a wide grin towards her. "Well, I guess this is the first time we've ever crossed paths with each other here, though. Ya seem ta be rather popular, ya know? The kids won't stop talkin' about how they look up ta _Kir-nee_."

"I'm hardly anyone to be admired." It was a reply from Hondou Hidemi- not one from Kir, the woman shaking her head, before slipping her guard back up, as if it had never left. "I hear that they're rather fond of you as well, Paikaru. Maybe it's because of your young age?"

She had already crossed paths with the Organization member known as Paikaru a number of times before this. Of course, given that she used to work as an announcer in her surface life, she was already quite familiar with the young and upcoming high school detective, Hattori Heiji. If the same people who praised him knew his true face... frankly, it was terrifying. His young age, the same as her younger brother, made it all the more terrifying to her- that there really could be someone like this who existed in this world. Showing a bright, smiling face for the world to see, even when the underside of it was stained with a mixture of black and red.

She'd seen him do it, once before. He didn't so much as hesitate.

The fact that he seemed to make regular trips to Tokyo concerned her- and what concerned her even more was that every so often, mention of Mouri Kogoro would pop up, almost as a footnote, in articles about cases that he solved. That man was, she knew, the caretaker of that boy who she owed no small amount to. To think that there was a chance that one of _them_ could be so close to him- and an exceptionally dangerous one at that, was enough to prompt her to act.

Still, the amount of information that she could share without potentially endangering herself was minimal. As one of the few people who knew Paikaru's face to begin with, if a connection was formed between the one of with that codename, and the high school detective of the west, she would be on the short list of suspects. That was something that she would rather avoid- in the end, she had settled instead for sending out his codename to that man- to that FBI agent, Akai Shuichi.

She knew that information would doubtlessly reach that boy before long. And she knew that once it did, it would only be a matter of time before someone as clever as he was- far too clever for a boy of his age, really- would ferret out the truth.

"Well, I guess that might have somethin' ta do with it." Paikaru said simply, shrugging her shoulders. "But I'm glad that I ran into ya here, Kir. I've got some things that I need ta discuss with ya. In _private_ , if ya don't mind." Taking a step forward so that they nearly stood shoulder to shoulder, he spared her a glance, his smile not fading from his face even as his voice dropped to a whisper. "After all, I'm quite certain that ya don't want anyone passin' by ta hear about the existence of yer cute _younger brother._ "

It was all she could do to not visibly react to his words. Slowly turning his gaze to face him, suddenly wishing that he would wipe that broad grin of his, so unsuited for this moment, off of his face, Kir- no, _Hondou Hidemi_ , narrowed her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about, Paikaru. I have no family. None that I would have any reason to care about."

"Relax." Paikaru said simply. "It's not like yer in trouble. If that were the case, I wouldn't mind takin' care of ya right here, ya know? Ya didn't even bring yer gun with ya." Carefully pulling his hand from his pocket, knowing that they were just out of view of the security cameras that otherwise watched every inch of this place, he quickly passed her a scrap of paper. Although her eyes narrowed further, she nevertheless took it from him, carefully tucking it away.

"Come here, on that date, at that time, if ya can. If ya can't, well, we'll work somethin' out. I've got somethin' important ta discuss with ya. _Don't_ bring yer friends." Slipping his hand back inside of his pocket, Paikaru's grin grew once more, taking a few steps forwards. "Well, tell those kids that I said goodbye. I've got some business of my own ta take care of right now, so I'm afraid I can't stay all that much longer."

"Another mission?" Kir asked slowly, turning around on her heel to face him, her eyes narrowing. If he knew about Eisuke, then surely he must know other things that she didn't want to see the light of day- not _here_ , at the very least. This was either a trap, or there really was something that he needed to discuss with her. Either way, she knew that she had no choice but to walk into it, even if it was the former. If she ran, she would only be cementing her guilt in their eyes- and if they really knew about her brother, he might already be in danger. "You sure seem busy these days."

"Yeah, between that old lady an' that old man, they're sure workin' their dog ta death." With a wave of his hand, Paikaru merely spared a glance back towards her, an almost mischievous hint to his always unfitting grin. "Well see ya around sometime, _Kir-nee_ ~."

Watching him go with a rather intense expression on her face, Hidemi nevertheless finally let out a long sigh, turning on her heel. Still feeling the slip of paper in her pocket from where she had slipped it in, she knew that whatever it was- be it her death sentence, or something else- she couldn't pull it out here. And it _was_ that something else, that possibility that something might be going on here beyond her scope of vision, that made her decide against contacting her FBI contacts for the moment.

Paikaru was, after all, the same age as her younger brother, though sometimes it was easy to forget. Perhaps there was something beyond the reputation that she knew, and perhaps there was a chance that the Organization's loyal dog wasn't as loyal as they thought he was. She didn't have the answer to that question- the only way she would ever get it was to follow the thread that he had tossed her way. If through him she could obtain a way to reach further into the Organization... that wasn't exactly a chance that she could pass up, even if there was a possibility that this was a trap for her.

If it wasn't, then she couldn't let this chance slip by. If there really _was_ a chance that the reason Paikaru was approaching her was for her help- then at the very least, even with his reputation, she was still willing to listen to him. He was, after all, still a child- and if that really was the case, she didn't feel as if she could abandon him. Well, she couldn't entirely claim all of her thoughts were completely altruistic- there were doors that Paikaru could open now that she couldn't, as the shadow of suspicion that had been cast over her after the capture incident had not yet entirely faded. There were things that she couldn't do anymore without throwing suspicion back on herself.

Glancing up, noticing the curious faces of the pair of twins from earlier peering out from behind the wall, a soft smile made it's way onto her face. "What are you doing over there?" She called out, taking a few steps forwards. "The adults are already done with their conversation. It's fine to come out now."

"Did Pai-nii already leave?" One of them asked, a slight frown crossing her face. "He promised to play with us today."

"I'm afraid that he has a bit of business to attend today." Hidemi told them, reaching out a hand to lightly pat her hair. Perhaps if the children really liked him, maybe there was something within Paikaru that wasn't all black and red- though she didn't know how much she was willing to bet on it. "Will I make an okay substitute?"

"Yeah!" The twins nodded eagerly, each taking one of her hands, half dragging her along with them. "Let's play together, Kir-nee!"

* * *

"I swear, no matter where ya go, abandoned warehouse districts all look the damn same." Pulling off his helmet as he glanced around, Heiji couldn't help but frown, glancing down at his watch to check the time. After all that worry that he might end up running late after his little side trip, it would appear that for once, he'd arrived a bit earlier than Vermouth. Not that he minded, really- during times like this when he found himself neck deep in Organization business, the moments when he could be _himself_ were precious few. He had let it slip a little with the kids before- but he couldn't put his guard all the way down, even in that sort of situation.

There were times when he would spend days wearing Paikaru's mask, and during such times, it was all too easy for him to forget that he had a different life beyond this. That he wasn't _just_ Paikaru. Times in which he needed to stake someone out, times in which he was forced into situations that required him interacting with other Organization members for an extended period of time- times in which he couldn't allow Hattori Heiji to surface, stubborn as he was. He didn't like it, though. Sometimes being Paikaru was almost too simple, too easy- and he didn't like getting used to it. As much as it was a survival method, he knew full well from past experience that if he embraced it too much, he might start losing himself in it- and that was something that he never wanted to go through ever again.

Pulling up the hood of his jacket just in case, Heiji glanced around the arranged meeting spot, before resting his helmet on his motorcycle. Not his usual one, of course- he have to be an idiot to drive something with a license plate number that could track back to his surface life around on such missions. Compared to his other motorcycle, this one was built far more for speed- sometimes, making a quick getaway was rather important. Buying a second one underneath an alias hadn't been much of a problem, and it had been one of the first things he had done after getting his license. It was why he had gotten a motorcycle license in the first place- the mobility that it provided him was really useful.

After a moment, he made out the familiar sound of a car that he had come to know rather well, and turned his head, eyes narrowing as the driver killed the lights, turning off the engine before stepping out of it. His free time had lasted around three minutes, a glance at his watch told him- and now it was time to get back to business, and figure out what it was that Vermouth had called him out here for. If it was just to discuss the matter of Bourbon, then there was no reason she would have called him out this far- doing something like that over the phone was just fine.

He had to wonder exactly how much she knew about Bourbon, given the fact that the two of them appeared to be a bit close- or as close as anyone in this Organization could be to one another. She was rather sharp, after all- and she was definitely playing at some kind of game of her own, one that he could only begin to guess at.

Considering that she knew _far too much_ about him, that chafed at him, more than a little.

"Yer late." Flipping his switch, Paikaru turned to glower at the blonde woman, taking a few steps forward, drawing a bit closer to her. "Somethin' hold ya up, Vermouth?"

"Even _I_ can't do that much about traffic, I'm afraid." Vermouth replied simply, giving him a shrug of her shoulders, her gaze trailing towards his motorcycle. "Not everyone can weave through it like you can, Paikaru. Had I known it was going to be so bad, I would have brought my own."

"Yeah, I guess." Rubbing the back of his neck, Paikaru cast an expectant look towards her, folding his arms in front of his chest. Sometimes he had to wonder if she got a certain amount of amusement from sending a traitor out to track down other traitors- or if she just knew that the fact that he couldn't refuse any orders in his current situation was convenient to her. "So? Ya wanted ta speak with me about somethin' right? Given that ya called me all the way out here, I'm gonna guess it's about another mission. What've ya got fer me this time, Vermouth?"

Maybe she just enjoyed seeing his sins mount.

"As usual, you're not much of one for patience, are you?" Vermouth observed, lifting her brows. "I wonder from _where_ you got that trait. Your biological mother, perhaps." There was a slightly coy smile to her lips as she watched him twitch- now that he wasn't as frozen as he was before, he was becoming more and more interesting to deal with.

He was walking a tightrope, and she couldn't help but admit that she was interested in seeing how far along it he could get before he slipped. Well, granted, if he did such a thing in front of the Organization's eyes, it would put everything that she had been working for at risk- and that was something that she very much did not want. She would be able to recover from him it without any problems, but such a thing would likely blind side the one who trusted him almost implicitly, and she didn't want to see what risk what the fallout of that could be.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry fer bein' impatient." Letting out a long sigh, Paikaru glowered up at her. "Are we here ta lecture me about my faults, or are ya here ta put me ta work again? I _do_ have other things ta do, ya know."

"I'm quite certain. The life of a high school detective seems rather busy, especially given the rate you just seem to wander into cases." Vermouth remarked, before reaching into her purse, pulling out a single photograph. "Do you recognize this man?"

"Sure do." Taking it from her, he gave it one look, the man's face almost instantly clicking in his mind. As far as he knew, he didn't have any Organization ties- though he was hardly an innocent man. "He's the leader of one of the more powerful yakuza groups in Kansai. Of course I know him. Pretty sure he's been gunnin' fer the old man's head fer the past couple of years since he arrested his only son. What about him?"

"He needs to be gone." Vermouth told him simply. "If at all possible, in a way that makes it look like a rival group is involved. There's a clash of interests."

Sparing her a brief glance, sensing that he wasn't going to get anything more out of her, Paikaru merely heaved a sigh, passing the photograph back to her. Well, offing a crook was better than killing a largely innocent man, and an even more innocent hotel clerk. "An' since I work out of that area, an' have access ta all kinds of information about them, yer countin' on me, huh?"

"It's good that you catch on quickly." Vermouth said simply. "I really don't care how you pull it off, but of course, make sure that there's no connection that can be tied back to us. Or _you_ , since it will likely be your father who ends up investigating the case, should they decide to report it to the police."

"I doubt that they would, given what I've heard of them." Paikaru merely snorted, shaking his head. "Well, that wouldn't stop my old man from nosin' his way in if he caught a whiff of foul play anyways. I'll be careful. How touchin' ta see yer concerned about me, Vermouth."

"It's more that I'm concerned about what kind of secrets you carry." Vermouth said simply, carefully studying the young man before her. Had his development as an Organization member not been abruptly interrupted by the rather unexpected development of befriending the one he was supposed to be monitoring for them, there was no telling how he would have ended up in a few years. This, she thought, was probably for the best- it was useful to her to have a card right beside her Silver Bullet, in the off chance that something happened to him that was outside of her control. There was only so much she could do before she started to draw attention to herself, after all.

"Well, don't worry. I don't intend ta let anythin' slip." Shrugging his shoulders, Paikaru tilted his head, quirking a brow. "Is that all? Still not gonna ask me ta return that favor I owe ya yet?"

"Not yet." Her lips twisting into a tight, unreadable smile, Vermouth merely shook her head. "That will wait for another time, when such a thing becomes important, Paikaru. When it comes, I assume you will keep your silence just as well as I have kept mine."

Narrowing his eyes, Paikaru took a moment to gauge the expression of the woman before him- not that it offered much to go off of. No small surprise, given that she was a famous actress. Concealing her true feelings was basically second nature to her. "I don't know what game yer playin' at, but as long as it keeps yer mouth shut, I don't mind that much. Just so long as yer not plannin' on doin' anythin' that's goin' ta get anyone I care about hurt."

Frankly, he didn't actually know if he had the bite to back up his bark, but it wasn't going to stop him from doing it anyways.

"Temperamental as always." Vermouth said simply, her gaze trailing away from his eyes, and the rather fierce look that they carried within them. Wanting to protect those who were important was a feeling that she understood all too well- but there was no need to share such information with him. Instead, her gaze fell upon his cheek, her lips pursing together as they made out the distinct trace of a scar. "I see that left a scar after all. That FBI woman has always been a rather good shot. If Calvados hadn't been there at that time, even _I_ would have been in trouble. Shame about what happened to him."

There was no actual emotion in her voice as she said that line, Paikaru knew right away. To her, that one was nothing more than a useful pawn- one that had served his purpose and was now no longer useful. That was the way that she worked, after all- and why he brokered no illusions that he wasn't anything more to her than that. "So what if it did?" He asked, narrowing his eyes as she reached out a hand, fingers lightly tracing over it before he jerked his head away, taking a few steps back so that he was out of her reach.

"Don't be such a way. I thought I would give you a bit of advice on how to conceal it, Paikaru." Vermouth said simply, an amused expression on her face. "I'm sure you haven't thought of a fitting excuse for it, have you?"

Grumbling a little, as he realized she was completely right, Paikaru merely averted his eyes from her, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'll think of _somethin_ '." He muttered, not liking the twinkle in her eyes one bit. For the time being, he had been keeping it covered with a band-aid, but the cat scratch excuse was starting to wear itself out, and that wouldn't explain the somewhat deep scar that had been left on his left cheek.

"Come now, don't be so testy. I don't want anyone to say that I haven't been properly looking after my _dog_." There was a light, mocking tone to her voice, one that matched the rather amused glimmer in her eyes, such a thing only growing as he turned his gaze back towards her, eyes fixing themselves into a glower. It wasn't so much the reputation that he had earned that she found amusing, so much as it was his reaction to it- even when he had been growing numb to everything, that had always been the one thing that would cause him to let his emotions out. "Let's see if I can't teach you a new trick, Paikaru."

* * *

Osaka, she knew, was Paikaru's home territory. Thankfully, it was also a city that she wasn't entirely unfamiliar with herself, having spent some time in it in the past. She wasn't the least bit surprised that the place Paikaru had called her out to was located in the prefecture that he called home, though she did admit that she was a bit surprised by his rather public choice of a meeting place. She'd been able to find it easily enough- there was no missing Osaka Castle, after all. Even though she hadn't been doing much announcer work since she had left the hospital, her face was still rather well known, but all it really took to conceal herself was a slight change in hairstyle, a hat, and sunglasses. More than enough to fool the casual bystander.

Not enough so that he wasn't able to pick her out of the crowd right away. But the one she was meeting was hardly an ordinary person.

"Sorry, sorry, did I keep ya waitin' long?" It was almost disturbing how _normal_ he seemed when he changed out of his black clothes, facing the world as Hattori Heiji, not as Paikaru. With a baseball cap worn low over his brow, he seemed almost as if he were any other teenager- even though she knew that he wasn't. "I got a bit held up with somethin'."

With Kazuha, really, but that was a detail better left unsaid. He'd finally managed to pry her off of him by telling her that she was making him late to meet a client- she had finally let him go after that. He didn't blame her for being a little bit clingy- it had been awhile since the two of them had properly hung out with one another, after all. He'd been trying to distance himself from her recently, and she had caught on to it. It hadn't entirely been _intentional_ on his part- he hadn't fully realized that he was doing it until she had called him out about it.

He'd have to do a little bit better. If he started acting strangely in his surface life, that would only raise questions. Questions to which the answers were things he'd rather _not_ give.

"I only got here a few minutes ago myself." Smiling placidly at him, Hidemi did her best to meet his own casual nature with that of her own. In the end, she had decided against contacting the FBI about this development, for the moment- although she had an emergency message written and ready to go, just in case. There was a gun tucked away in the handbag that she had picked out today, just in case she needed such a thing.

Even if she was walking into a trap, she didn't intend to go down without a fight.

"Should I call you Hattori-kun, then?" She asked, briefly locking eyes with him, adjusting her sunglasses ever so slightly to facilitate this. Odd though- she could have sworn that he had a scar on his left cheek the last time she saw him. "Since I'm assuming you'd rather avoid having such a name as your _other_ spoken in public."

"Yeah, that's fine." Grinning from ear to ear, Heiji quickly gave her a nod of the head, only briefly sparing a glance down to her purse. He was willing to bet money on the fact that there was probably a gun in there- of course, he hadn't brought one himself. He hoped it would be a show of trust, and hopefully it wouldn't be misplaced. He had taken a bit of time to check the area out from one of the upper levels of Osaka Castle, and he hadn't spotted any suspicious people watching Hidemi- so she must have been alone after all. "What should I call ya, in that case? Mizunashi-han? Rena-han?"

And then, after a slight pause, his smile not leaving his face. "Maybe _Hondou-han_?"

The fact that she didn't even so much as flinch was testament to her skills, Heiji thought to himself, watching as he placid, business-like smile didn't even so much as falter. "I'm not sure where you got such a name from, Hattori-kun. My name is _Mizunashi Rena_."

"Well, we can discuss that more in a more private place." Heiji told her simply, shrugging his shoulders. "It's good that ya came alone, though. The less people who overhear the things I'm about ta talk with ya about, the better, right? Fer both you an' me."

Narrowing her eyes sharply at his statement the moment he turned his back on her, Hidemi quickly took his words for what they meant. There was no mistake- from someone, somewhere, he had heard about her connections to the CIA- and what's worse, her connections to her younger brother. Still, she had to admit that his actions didn't quite fit with what she was expecting- while this still could very well be a trap, her intuition was telling her that perhaps it was something else.

Perhaps the Organization's loyal dog wasn't as loyal as everyone thought it was. Perhaps he had found a different master to serve, while no one was watching. Perhaps that Edogawa Conan boy, strange as he was, had already long since realized the truth- and had turned the card sent to watch him against the Organization. For someone of his talents, she could easily imagine such a thing to be true.

She wondered what he had done in order to do so.

"Wouldn't it be inconvenient for you if you're seen with me?" Deciding to take a chance, Hidemi ventured the question.

"Nah, it's fine." Not even so much as looking back at her, Paikaru continued in a straight line, making his way down the bustling streets of Osaka. There wasn't a single person passing by that had the time to listen to their conversation, nor even notice them- but that didn't mean he didn't have to be careful with his words. "If I see someone I know, all I have ta say is that yer a client who hired me. An' as fer _them_... well, I did request yer services for a job that I've been charged with."

"I wasn't informed." Hidemi couldn't help but note, raising her brows. Again, the implication here seemed to be that the Organization did not know what he was doing here- she didn't miss that.

"Told 'em I'd do it myself." Heiji told her, giving her a simple shrug of his shoulders, taking a turn down a more deserted side street. He knew Osaka like the back of his hand, finding an empty, out of the way place to discuss things was hardly a problem. "Ya know someone by the name of Omura Kazufumi?"

"If I recall correctly, he's the leader of a rather prominent yakuza group in Osaka." Hidemi said, a slight frown crossing her features.

"Figures ya'd know. He still would have been causin' trouble in this area around the time ya lived here fer awhile, after all." Briefly sparing her a glance to cast a broad grin back towards her, even though he already knew that no matter how friendly he tried to act, her guard probably wouldn't lower itself. That wasn't going to stop him, of course- he really didn't want the two of them to be enemies.

He had more than enough of those already. Way too many. In reality, there was probably no one that he could really call an ally- no one who would stick by him when the chips were down, when the truth was out there. Sometimes, there was a part of him, one that was larger than he would like to admit, that _resented_ Kudo for having found so many allies that he felt he could trust. Maybe not with everything, but even the secrets that he hid from them wouldn't be enough to break their trust in him.

It was to be expected. He was the hero of this story, after all. Heroes naturally drew allies towards them, because they were on the right side. Heiji didn't quite understand what his role in it was just yet- the decision, he supposed, didn't really rest with him. He could only hope that his role wasn't that of a villain.

"How do you know about that?" The question slipped out before she could stop it- and although she felt her grip on her purse shift ever so slightly, she felt confident enough in her assumption to let it stand. At this point, there was no denying what he already knew- it was time to see what his goal here was. As far as she could tell, he didn't appear to be armed- a show of good faith, perhaps, so unlike what she had come to expect from him.

"That kid told me about it." Looking straight ahead again, reaching up to pull the brim of his cap lower down over his eyes, Heiji told her frankly. He knew that he didn't need to elaborate- she knew who he meant. "Back when you were lyin' unconscious in the hospital, an' yer kid brother came lookin' fer ya. Showed me a picture that he found of ya in front of the Tsutenkaku Tower, an' asked me ta look into the matter, ta see if anyone had ever seen ya around the area. Didn't turn anythin' up about ya, but we did manage ta uncover somethin' about yer kid brother- an' yer father."

The sound of her footsteps abruptly ceasing was what had Heiji stopping likewise in his own tracks, turning back towards her to spare her a glance.

"He trusts you." Was the first thing that she found coming out of her mouth, even though there was a whirlpool of other questions that she would like to ask, other things that she would like to say, so much so that it all blended together in her mind. To think that he knew that much- if this really was a trap, escaping it alive was going to be rather difficult. " _Why_?"

"Why indeed? That's a damn good question." Rubbing the back of his neck, Heiji cast his eyes on their surroundings- here would be good enough, he guessed. There was nobody around, and this place was almost always deserted around this time of day. Turning around to face her, he folded his arms in front of his chest, keeping them where she could see them. "I've been askin' myself that same question fer the longest now. Well, he ain't askin' me ta investigate anythin' about the Organization anymore now though- wants ta _protect_ me."

The bitter snort that escaped from him was either a brilliant stroke of acting, or his true feelings. It was the look in his eyes that had her leaning towards the latter- and found her hand straying away from her concealed gun.

"Hilarious, right?" Heiji continued, a bitter smile crossing his face, almost feeling as if he wanted to laugh. "He wants ta _protect me_. _Me_. Of all people, he's too worried about _me_ ta keep me involved in investigatin' the very Organization that I'm a damn _member_ of."

"He doesn't know about you, does he?" Hidemi found herself asking, a few of the pieces slowly clicking into place. While at first glance, it almost seemed to shatter her earlier theory- if Edogawa Conan truly didn't know about Hattori Heiji's double life, then there was no way he could have turned him against the Organization- not knowingly, at the very least. And it was that latter part that caused her to be unable to throw out her earlier theory just yet- that, and the bitter, self loathing expression that she saw in the eyes of the one she was now all too keenly aware was still a child.

"He doesn't know a _damn thing_." Shaking his head, Heiji snorted, unable to help himself. "Kid's a damn _genius_ , an' he still doesn't realize a goddamn thing about me. Calls me his _best friend_. Tells me things that he shouldn't, tells me things that might doom so many damn people if I hadn't gone _soft_ fer some goddamn reason." Locking eyes with Hidemi, he managed to crack something like a smile, an odd mixture between something genuine, and something more likely to be seen on the face of is mask. "You included, Hondou-han."

"So I've gathered." It took everything in her not to reach for her gun again, but somehow, she didn't think this was some kind of trap. This was too real, too raw to be something that was faked- what she was witnessing now was a side to Paikaru she never expected to see- something that was far more fragile and vulnerable than he was willing to show to most people.

But he was showing it to her, and she suspected that she knew the reason why.

"But you haven't ratted me out." Hidemi said finally, a slightly soft edge to her eyes. "If you reported me as a mole, you could have advanced in the Organization. If you had told them about the child... about Conan-kun, you would have gone even further, I suspect. But you haven't- _why_?"

"Honestly, I don't even know anymore." Heiji confessed after a moment, shaking his head. "At first it was just curiosity. After that..." trailing off a little, he cast his glance downwards, placing a hand over his heart. "...it feels like that kid gave me back somethin' that I was about ta lose. Hilarious, right? That someone like _me_ , someone with _my_ reputation, would have turned _traitor_. All fer the friendship of a _kid_."

The friendship of his rival, really, the friendship of someone he knew that he didn't have any right to call his equal. Certainly, their deductive reasoning, their abilities to solve a case, their intellect was more or less on the same level- but there were too many fundamental differences between the two of them, too many that would prevent him from ever feeling like he could measure up to the likes of Kudo Shinichi. He was the hero- and Heiji? He never could be something like that, no matter what he did.

He didn't know what kind of role he had in this story- but it wasn't that. It would never be that.

"What's wrong with that?" The question was direct enough that it caught him off guard- as was the step forward that Hidemi took. This wasn't acting, this wasn't a trap- this was the truth. This was a child, who had been forced into circumstances that he didn't ask for, circumstances that he didn't think he could escape from anymore- a desperate child, the same age as her younger brother, who was living the kind of life that she wouldn't wish on anyone. "You want to help him, don't you? Conan-kun, that is."

"I do." He was more than willing to admit that, a hint of a smile managing to make it's way onto his face. "I owe that kid more than he'll ever realize. I've got ta pay him back somehow, considerin' how much time I spend lyin' ta him as it is. I'm not at all suited ta protect people, but I want ta see that kid do it. I want ta see him tear down the whole rotten thing, ta bring everyone down with it, an' send 'em all right where they belong."

Almost sensing that there was a question on her lips, just waiting to be spoken, Heiji cut her off, knowing it was one that he wasn't ready to answer just yet. "I know yer in contact with one of his allies in the FBI." He told her, a more serious expression crossing his face, trying to somewhat cover up the rather raw display of emotion that he had ended up showing her- and was starting to feel at least a little bit embarrassed by. It wasn't like he was trying to fish for sympathy or anything- he already knew that he didn't deserve any. This was a mess he had gotten himself into in the first place, he couldn't just claim he was just an unfortunate victim at this point anymore.

That time had long come and gone.

"I need ya not ta tell him about me." Heiji finished, a stern look in his eyes. "That's why I called ya out here, that's why I told ya all of this. We're on the same side, more or less, an' if ya need me ta help ya, I'll do what I can, Hondou-han. But I can't... _he_ can't know. As long as he doesn't know, I can stay close ta him an' keep him safe, but if he learns about who I am... I won't be able ta do that anymore."

There were words going unspoken there, and Hidemi could sense them right away. She knew better than to pursue them, however- especially since she had to now be the bearer of bad news.

"I already have." Hidemi confessed after a moment. Watching the look that crossed through Heiji's eyes quickly made her continue, however. "Your codename. Just that. That's all that I sent in my message. I thought it might be too risky to chance sending anything else, and that he'd figure it out on his own eventually."

Finally remembering to breath, Heiji slowly nodded his head, taking in and letting out a long breath. "Ya sent them my _codename_?" Even that was too much, he thought- Hidemi was right, Kudo had already been able to figure out the identity of an Organization member with only their codename as the starting thread. Placing a hand on his forehead, pushing up the brim of his cap a bit as he did so, he let out another long breath.

This was bad. It wasn't a situation that he couldn't recover from, but this was bad.

"How long ago?" He asked, sparing her a glance.

"Around three or four weeks ago, I believe." Hidemi told him, an apologetic tone to her voice. "I thought he was in danger."

"Nah, I understand." Heiji said finally, dropping his hand and shaking his head. Four weeks ago- in other words, he would have already known his codename when they had encountered each other as detective and Organization member. If it was Kudo, there was a chance that he had already drawn a connection between the codename that he had been given, and the person that he had 'met' that night. Odds were, whatever that Haibara girl knew about Paikaru, Kudo now knew as well- he could only hope that it wasn't much. "I probably would have done the same thing in yer shoes. It's fine, I can work with this."

"I could tell them, you know." Hidemi ventured. "That they can trust you."

"They _can't_." Heiji said frankly, narrowing his eyes as he cut her off. As tempting as that was, it wasn't really an option. "I'm not in a situation where I can leave the Organization, nor am I in a situation where I can refuse any missions that they send me on. I can't guarantee that I won't be forced ta work against them sometimes. That's _already_ happened. Keepin' the things that I know a secret an' watchin' his back is about the most that I can do fer him at the moment."

There was a long pause there, as she was half tempted to tell him that so long as they explained that, there was a chance that they might understand. It wasn't her call to make though- at least, not right now. If she were to catch wind that he was in trouble, she might change her mind. "Very well. You can at the very least rely on me a little, Hattori-kun. I still have some connections of my own."

The name rolled off her lips easier than before- there was, after all, something very human in the one that she had thought was nothing short of a monster, like they all were.

"I'm _still_ a criminal, ya know." Heiji pointed out after a moment, quirking a brow. "It's not like my infamous reputation is made up of lies. I'm not gonna pretend ta be anythin' more than I am, an' I'm not lookin' fer yer sympathy or anythin' here, Hondou-han. That stuff that made ya act that way ta me when we met the other day- that stuff hasn't changed or gone away, just cause I'm tryin' ta do the right thing now. Just yer silence. I don't _need_ help."

"Yes you do." Hidemi said simply, locking eyes with him, all but forcing him to hold her gaze. "I've helped do things that I'm not proud of either, and those are things that I'll never be able to wash off of my conscience- nor should I. The fact that I'm trying to help bring them down isn't an excuse that's valid enough to wash away what I've done while infiltrating them. I do know how you feel."

"Yer still different than me. Yer with the CIA, yer connected with the FBI." Heiji told her, shaking his head. "I just got blackmailed into the Organization an' didn't try an' fight back until it was way too late. Damn things in my _blood_ , even. We're not the same. When the Organization goes down, the CIA will get ya out of it, if the FBI doesn't. As fer me," he said, giving her a simple shrug of his shoulders, "...I'll go down with it too, like I should. I've done too much fer anythin' else ta happen at this point."

"It doesn't have to be that way." Hidemi told him, a deep frown setting itself on her features. Even if he told her that he wasn't looking for her sympathy, she couldn't help but give it anyways- though she didn't try and delude herself into thinking that such a thing was there before. Still, there was a difference between someone who had been blackmailed and trapped in a role who was still trying to do some good in the world, who was still trying to act against that which he'd found himself involved in, and someone who had given up, and resigned himself to his fate. "There are deals that could be arranged-"

Holding up a hand and cutting her off, Heiji flashed her a smile, shaking his head. "That's not up fer discussion right now. All I need from ya, Hondou-han, is fer you ta keep as quiet as ya can about me from now on."

After a moment's pause, Hidemi gave him a rather curt nod of her head. "Very well. I won't say anything more. But be _careful_. If the Organization finds out what you're doing..."

"I know." Another bitter laugh escape from him, as Heiji shook his head, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Who do ya think yer talkin' to here? I know better than anyone the sorts of things that they do ta traitors."


	8. Invitation

**AN** : Oh hey, here's chapter eight! We're gearing up for something that's going to be real fun for me to write in this chapter, so I'm really looking forward to it! As always, thanks for reading, and please leave a review on your way out, if you could be so kind!

Until next time!

* * *

 **Black Echo**

 **Chapter Eight**

 **Invitation**

* * *

"I'm tellin' ya, Ran-chan, Heiji's been actin' completely out of it lately." Sighing deeply into her phone, Kazuha flopped back onto her bed, closing her eyes. "Lately, I can't help but get the feelin' that he's been avoidin' me, even. Do ya think he's gotten tired of me or somethin'?"

"I'm sure that's not true." Even though Ran's reassurances came through loud and clear over the phone, somehow, they didn't seem all that reassuring this go around. Perhaps it was just simply because of the distance between them. "Hattori-kun cares about you a lot, Kazuha-chan. I don't think he'd ever get tired of you, or anything like that. I'm sure he's just got something on his mind."

"Yeah well, it feels like he's had it on his mind fer over a _month_ now." Kazuha grumbled. "He's never usually _this_ distracted, Ran-chan, not fer this long, anyways. I can't help but worry that somethin' is wrong with him, an' he's just not tellin' me what. You've got experience with childhood friends keepin' things from ya- how do ya deal with it?"

"Well," pursing her lips together, wondering what would be best to tell her friend, Ran racked her brain for a moment. Some days she handled Shinichi's essential disappearance better than others- but that probably wasn't what Kazuha needed to hear right now. After all, if her intuition was on the mark, she knew _exactly_ what it was that Heiji was keeping from Kazuha- and it was _hardly_ the sort of thing that she needed to worry about. "...I really don't think you have anything to worry about. I'm sure it'll pass eventually."

"I mean, it _is_ Hattori-kun we're talking about here." Ran couldn't help but add. She felt a little bad not cluing her friend in on Heiji's own increasingly obvious feelings for her- but that really was not her place. "He's not really the type to keep secrets."

"I guess not." Kazuha said after a moment, letting out another long sigh, opening her eyes. "I just don't like it when he goes out on cases an' leaves me behind, Ran-chan. It feels like he's been doin' that a lot more lately. I thought he was gettin' better about it recently, but I guess maybe I was wrong." It hadn't quite gotten to the levels it had been from before he had met Shinichi, but it still felt like it had been heading back in that direction again lately. "I can't help but worry about that idiot whenever he leaves my sight. He's not very good at stayin' out of trouble, ya know."

"So I've learned." Ran couldn't help but quip. "But I'm sure he'll be fine, Kazuha-chan. If nothing else, Hattori-kun has the devil's own luck. I'm sure even if he gets himself in a bad fix, he'll find his way out of it just like he always does. Besides, he hasn't gotten himself into any bad trouble recently. Except for the uh, cat thing, I guess, if you count that."

"Oh, you best believe I'm countin' that." Kazuha said with a grin, once more recalling the sulking expression on his face when he told her exactly _how_ he had gotten himself so badly scratched up. "I'm never goin' ta forget him losin' a fight ta a cat fer as long as I live, Ran-chan. But I just can't shake the bad feelin' that it almost seems like he's _overdue_ for trouble, ya know what I mean?"

"I understand." Ran said, nodding her head even though she knew Kazuha couldn't see her. "Is he out on another case right now?"

"Yeah, left bright an' early this mornin'. Didn't even say goodbye. I think he thinks if he sneaks out early, nobody'll stop him from goin' off on his own." Grumbling to herself over this, recalling how she had burst into his room to invite him to check out the new hotcake place that had opened up near the shopping street, only to find a note informing her that he had left on a case in his place. "Maybe yer boyfriend's a bad influence on him, Ran-chan."

"I'm sure that's not the case. Besides, he's not _really_ my boyfriend." Ran said lightly, laughing a little, in part to cover her own nerves. It was a good thing that Kazuha couldn't see her flustered face- even if she knew her friend knew full well it was there.

Well, granted, she didn't exactly know the extent of Shinichi and Heiji's friendship- they had become rather close ever since they had first met each other, even though it felt as if they only saw each other about as often as she saw Shinichi herself. She did wonder about it sometimes, that if there was a chance that Heiji knew what was going on with Shinichi.

Sometimes she thought about cornering him about it, pumping him for information, but she almost felt bad about such an idea. Heiji was a _terrible_ liar, after all, it would only make her feeling like she was cornering a dog that had done nothing wrong. If he was keeping anything he knew about Shinichi from her, it was probably only just because he had asked him to- and no matter how much she wanted to be, she couldn't be angry at someone who was keeping a secret for the sake of their friend.

Even if she didn't _quite_ understand when and how the two had become such close friends.

"Not _yet_ , he's not." Heaving a sigh for a different reason now, Kazuha turned on her side, directing her attention to her window. "But it's probably only a matter of time fer the two of ya. I don't even know what I need ta do in order ta make Heiji realize my feelings fer him. An' I'm _still_ not completely convinced that he didn't say what I thought he said back on Ebisu Bridge, ya know."

"Well, I'm sure things will work out for the both of you as well. You just have to give it time, sometimes." Ran told her, turning her head as she vaguely heard the sound of Conan calling out her name. "Ah, I have to go though, it looks like. Conan-kun just came home. Feel free to call me later if anything comes up though."

"Ah, sure." Turning herself so that she lay on her back again, Kazuha nodded her head. "I'll let ya go then, Ran-chan. Thanks fer puttin' up with my whinin'."

"I wouldn't really call it whining." Ran told her, turning on her heel slightly as the door to the Mouri apartment opened up, flashing a small smile towards Conan as he entered. Upon seeing that she was on the phone, he quickly held back on anything it was that he wanted to say to her. "Then, I'll talk to you again some other time, Kazuha-chan. Bye bye."

"Was that Kazuha-neechan?" Curiously looking up towards Ran, Conan gave her a small smile. It had been about two weeks since he'd seen the pair of Osakans last, and as always, he couldn't help but wonder how they were doing. It felt a little like Heiji hadn't been calling him as often lately- but chances were, he was probably just preoccupied with matters pertaining to Kazuha.

"Yes, it was." Ran said, nodding her head, tucking her phone back away in her pocket for the moment. "Did you have a fun day over at the Professor's, Conan-kun?"

"Yeah!" Nodding his head, Conan knew there was no way he could tell her that he hadn't gone over to the Professor's place for fun. He'd gone in an attempt to rack Ai's brain again in regards to Paikaru, since he hadn't been able to get any new information about the Organization member since his brief encounter with him. She had nothing new to offer him sadly, leaving him back at square one. He had a rough idea about his height and basic body type now- but that really wasn't all that much to go on. "How's everything with Kazuha-neechan and Heiji-niichan?"

"Ah, it seems Kazuha-chan's a bit worried about Hattori-kun lately. Says that he seems to be preoccupied with something. But well," a hint of a sly grin crossed her face as she spoke, a knowing look twinkling in her eyes "...I get the feeling that I know _exactly_ what it is that's troubling him so much."

"Ahh. Well, you're probably right." A look of realization dawning across his face, Conan nodded his head, letting out a small laugh. While there was still a chance that the Osakan detective might be preoccupied with thoughts of the Organization making moves close to his friend once again, chances were, if there was something he was even more distracted by, it was his own efforts to try and confess to Kazuha. He'd never really pegged Heiji as a romantic type- and he couldn't help but wonder how _much_ of his desire to confess to Kazuha in a romantic location was borne out of his desire to one up him.

Probably less than he gave him credit for, really.

"Right?" With a bright smile, Ran let out a small laugh of her own. "Well, right now she's just worried because Hattori-kun went off to work on a case without her. Not that I can blame her, really."

"A case?" Blinking a little, a slight frown crossed Conan's lips. Well, it wasn't like Heiji contacted him every time he was working on a case. He knew full well that he didn't need his help on every case he worked, even though he found it fun to have sometimes. Still, he couldn't help but have his interest piqued by the mere mention of such a thing, wondering what type of case it was, and why he didn't want to bring Kazuha with him this time. "Maybe I should give Heiji-niichan a call myself, then."

"Come now, Conan-kun, you _know_ the rule." Folding her arms in front of her chest, Ran scolded him lightly. "If we _know_ Hattori-kun is working on a case somewhere, that we don't know the circumstances of, we don't call him, we let him call us. Knowing _his_ luck, he might very well be trying to work himself out of a difficult situation that our timely phone call will mess up for him in the worst way."

"...you've got a point." Conan admitted after a moment. He wasn't sure when that had been decided on, but given the fact that the Osakan detective was the type to consistently draw worst luck fortunes during the New Years shrine visit, it made a certain degree of sense. "Heiji-niichan _does_ have pretty bad luck. No wonder Kazuha-neechan is worried about him. I'm sure he'll be fine, though!"

"That's what I told her." Ran said. "Honestly though, if I could give him some of my own luck, I would. Shinichi too, for that matter. He hasn't even called me recently, speaking of troublesome high school detectives."

"I-is that so?" Stammering a little, suddenly realizing that he had been so preoccupied with the matter of Paikaru lately, that calling Ran had _completely_ slipped his mind, Conan made a quick mental note to do so as soon as possible. "I'm sure he'll call you soon, Ran-neechan! He's probably just a little busy!"

"You're probably right, Conan-kun." Reaching down to lightly rub his head, Ran gave him a small smile. "Now then. How about the two of us go out and get something to eat for lunch. We'll keep it a secret from dad, of course. That's what he gets for going to the pachinko parlor again yesterday. And he thought I _wouldn't_ notice."

"Sure!" With an eager nod of his head and a bright smile, Conan quickly agreed. He couldn't wait for the day when he could safely go out to eat with Ran again in his _real_ body, but for the time being, this would just have to do. Hell, maybe if Heiji ever got his issues with Kazuha sorted out, the four of them could try going on a double date or something- so long as said double date didn't end with a _murder_ , that was.

* * *

When his father made mention of the latest case that he was involved in, Heiji didn't even flinch. The murder of the leader of a rather prominent yakuza group, one that he already knew full well would work it's way onto his father's lap eventually. It wasn't the first time that something he had involvement in had crossed his father's desk, and he doubted that it would be the least, not unless Kudo brought the Organization crashing down overnight- and not even _he_ was that good.

The picture that had been painted was one of the man being murdered by a member of a rival group, and the perfect scapegoat for that had already been picked out. His father might not believe it wholeheartedly- but if there was one thing that the Organization was good at, it was covering their own tracks. It would remain as a lingering feeling, but not anything that he would ever get evidence to prove- and if he _did_ somehow obtain evidence, well...

That was also sort of his job too. Among the number of people who would likely never forgive him for his involvement with the Organization, his own father was pretty high on the list. He might very well be even higher up on it than Kudo was- he'd betrayed the man who had took him in and raised him like his own flesh and blood far more directly, and far more often, than he ever had Kudo. In one case, he knew that the information that he provided _them_ with had already directly lead to the death of one of the officers underneath his father's command. He hadn't done anything to the man himself, but what difference did it make, really?

After taking such a gamble on the son of murderers, to bring him into his own family, to treat him _as_ his own flesh and blood, to think it had turned out this way for him. How ungrateful a child could he get?

The Organization's goal this time, he knew, wasn't so much the murder of one man, but likely the creation of a war between the two rival groups, spurred on by their leader's murder. He didn't know how it was these groups conflicted with the Organization's interest- perhaps they merely wanted to obtain their resources as they tore each other apart- and frankly, he wasn't all that interested. He doubted it would be useful information for Kudo, even if he _could_ figure out a way to tell him about it. The last thing he wanted was for him to wind up being involved in was a yakuza grudge war, not in that shrimpy body of his.

Payment for the matter had already been received, flowing like water into the account that he had secretly set up underneath an alias. There was more money than he knew what to do with in it, really. He would withdraw a portion of it later, to put it away for safekeeping in a safe place. The Organization knew where he lived, and they knew where his storage locker was, but there were any other number of places he had stashed things that would be necessary in the off chance he had to go into hiding. As much as he never wanted something like that to happen, knowing it would put those he cared about in the line of fire, it was still an eventuality that he needed to prepare for.

And he knew that if he one day suddenly disappeared, his father would never stop looking for him- nor would Kazuha, for that matter. He could only hope that in doing so, they wouldn't turn anything up that they weren't prepared to handle- the last thing he wanted to do was to have those around him be in danger because of his actions. If they somehow managed to not be put on a list of targets in the event the Organization learned what he was keeping from them, he didn't want them to do so by poking their noses around in such dangerous affairs, no matter _how_ capable his father was.

"Sounds like things are goin' ta be dicey fer awhile then, huh?" Heiji observed, polishing off his breakfast, setting down his rice bowl. "Ya tellin' me this ta tell me ta be careful or somethin', old man, or are ya tellin' me this because ya want me ta stay out of the way of this case?"

"Both." Heizo stated plainly, briefly locking eyes with his son, watching as he gathered up his plates and rose to his feet. He didn't _quite_ like that underlying tone to his son's voice- the last thing he wanted was for Heiji to get mixed up with the yakuza, not under these circumstances. The situation was already explosive- it would probably only be a matter of time before the situation escalated into violence between the two groups. He'd rather not see Heiji get mixed up in such a situation, especially not given his son's personality. "I'm sure Toyama has already told her, but take care to keep an eye on Kazuha-san as well, Heiji."

"I will, I will." Heiji said simply, making his way to the kitchen. "Well, although I think _Kazuha's_ the one they'd have ta watch out fer, not the other way around." He observed, flashing his parents a quick grin. Time for a subject change. "They say she's the favorite ta win her next tournament this time round."

"Do you know when it is, Heiji?" Shizuka asked, peering over towards her son. It could be a bit difficult to pry information about his tournaments out of him- but Kazuha's he talked about freely. She wished he would speak a little more openly about his _own_ school life- sometimes she got the feeling that there were too many things that he wasn't telling her. "If I recall, it's the semi-finals next, isn't it?"

"That's right!" Heiji told her. "I think it's takin' place somewhere in Kyoto, but I'd have ta ask Kazuha fer more details." He was sure she had told him when and where it was going to be, but it had kind of slipped his mind at some point. Of course, he would go if he could- she did have a point the other day, that he was flaking on her too much.

Whatever was to come, he at least wanted to enjoy the time he had, as much as he could. One way or another, be it because the Organization had discovered the truth, or if the Organization and all it's members had been thrown into the light because of Kudo's efforts, it was probably limited. There was nothing wrong with enjoying his current life for everything he had worth in the small amount of time he had.

Of course, confessing to Kazuha was now completely out of the question. It had been a nice dream while it had lasted- even if he was still pretty miffed about the JSDF thing, but when the eventual fallout came, it was better if the two of them were only _just_ childhood friends. Both for the sake of her heart, and the sake of her reputation, really. He couldn't put her through any more than he already was eventually going to.

Not that it did _anything_ to stop his actual feelings for her- he'd probably carry those to his grave. With any luck, it wouldn't be an early one.

"Well, be sure to." Shizuka told him. "Are you already heading to school, Heiji? There's still an hour and a half left before classes start."

"Mornin' practice." Heiji told her, making his way out of the dining room. It wasn't jarring at all, slipping back into the life of a normal teenager like this, after murdering someone. He'd long since gotten used to that too- although this _was_ the first time he had helped spark a yakuza turf war in the process. He could only hope that there wouldn't be too many innocent bystanders caught up in it. He'd keep an eye on that, at the very least- if there was something he could do to prevent that, then it would probably help take a slight edge of his deep well of sins.

"Well, good luck then, Heiji." Shizuka told him, watching as he left the room, before glancing back over towards her husband. She knew that look on his face, though some might say he wasn't one to express himself much, it was easy as could be for her. "Are you worried that he's going to try and involve himself in that case, Heizo?"

"No." Heizo said simply, a slight frown on his face, as his eyes followed the path his son had taken. Although there had been an undercurrent to Heiji's tone that he didn't quite like earlier, after a moment's reflection, he realized that the telltale gleam in his eyes had been missing when he said it. His son was as easy to read as a book- if he was going to involve himself in something, then without fail, that gleam would always be there. "I don't think that's something I have to worry about this time."

"Well, even Heiji has some sense, sometimes." Shizuka lightly observed, her tone mostly teasing. "He probably is just worried it carries too much risk that Kazuha-chan might get involved."

"That may be it." With a firm nod of his head, Heizo carefully began to collect his own dishes. He'd speak with him again about the matter if he needed to. "We'll do what we can to prevent the situation from escalating- but it may be beyond our means to predict and prevent everything. It almost feels like someone _wanted_ this to happen."

"What makes you say that?" Shizuka asked, glancing up towards her husband. His instincts were rarely off the mark, so when he said something like this, she couldn't help but take note.

"Nothing concrete. It's only just a feeling."

* * *

"You've seemed rather troubled by something lately."

It was that rather cool observation coming out of the mouth of Amuro Tooru that had Conan momentarily sporting a rather deep frown. He had already since considered trying to see if this man- this double agent, had any information of his own about Paikaru, but had decided against it, for the same reasons he had decided against asking him about Rum. He might be a mole, but he'd already shown that he had motives of his own- and that made him a dangerous man to trust. Although he didn't doubt that he was already aware of the fact that he had been looking into matters regarding Rum- he'd rather keep the other Organization member he was looking into as much of a secret as possible.

He already knew that Kir was working for their side- even though his plan to capture Akai Shuichi has failed, it was a plan that had still ended with them being forced to reveal that card to him. He hadn't quite put aside the idea that Okiya Subaru and Akai Shuichi were one and the same either, and that was something he wanted to keep him from finding proof of for as long as possible. He didn't want to put their only real contact inside of the Organization at risk, for any reason.

"Even kids have their own worries, Amuro-niisan!" Conan piped up, leaning across the table a little. "More importantly, is my food ready yet?"

"In just a moment. Are Mouri-san and his daughter going to be joining you in a little while?" Amuro asked, not missing the way he had deflected the question. Something was clearly on the boy's mind- and that look on his face was one that he had come to know well. An expression that only surfaced when his thoughts were dwelling on either a case- or _them_.

"Yeah, once they get done with Uncle Kogoro's client." Conan said, nodding his head.

"Oh? I'm surprised you're not up there with them." Amuro noted, arching a brow. "You always seem to have a knack for butting into that sort of thing."

"Not always." Conan insisted, giving him what he hoped was a rather childish pout. Besides, the only thing that uncle was doing right now was reporting his findings in regards to an adultery case- that wasn't something he was interested in, nor was it something that he needed him around for. At the very least, he could handle that much by himself. "You make it sound like I'm bothersome, Amuro-niisan. That's not very nice."

In the back of his head, Conan could only think that he would likely never live it down if Amuro ever learned the truth about him. Of course, there were many other reasons why he was never going to allow something like that to happen- but he'd be lying if he tried to say that wasn't a _small_ portion of it, at least.

"Sorry, sorry." Flashing him an apologetic smile that Conan knew was entirely fake, Amuro merely brushed off his act. He didn't know what Edogawa Conan's deal was just yet- but the things he worried about were hardly the same as what a normal first grade student would worry themselves about. A normal first grade student wouldn't be involved with the FBI, trying to take down a dangerous international Organization. "You're very helpful, after all. I'm sure the police and Mouri-san alike appreciate you a great deal."

"No, no, I'm just saying what I notice sometimes, that's all." Conan said, not letting his smile falter. Two could play at this game. Besides, he was pretty sure that while the police might appreciate him to some degree now, Kogoro was another matter entirely. Telling him that he had been using him as a puppet for the past half year or so wasn't going to be fun, even though it was something he knew he needed to do eventually.

Not until everything was over, though.

"Still, you're quite bright for a child." Amuro observed, locking eyes with him. "No wonder you can manage to go head to toe with _them_ as easily as you can."

"Well, I'm only just doing my best, _Amuro-niisan_." Conan told him, peering behind the blonde man, fighting back the urge to let out a sigh of relief as he spotted Ran and her farther. "Ah, Ran-neechan! Over here, over here! I've saved us a spot!"

"Thank you, Conan-kun." Ran told him with a smile, as she carefully slid into the booth next to him. "Did you already give Amuro-san your order?"

"Yes, I did!" Conan told her. "He said it'll take just a little bit longer!"

"Then, I should hurry up and figure out something to order as well. Are there any specials today, Amuro-san?" Ran asked, glancing up at him, accepting the menu that he passed her way, watching her father do the same out of the corner of her eye.

"None today, I'm afraid." Amuro told her. "We ran out of ingredients for it earlier, during today's lunch rush."

Watching as the brunette lamented that it was too bad that was the case, Amuro carefully slid his gaze back towards Conan, keeping half an ear out for what Ran and her father told him. The kid was definitely worried about something- and it wasn't hard for him to guess what that something might be. He'd heard about Paikaru's near brush with the FBI after all- and even though information about Conan's involvement hadn't been part of what he had heard, he got the feeling there was a high chance that the kid was there.

Paikaru hadn't told him that much either- but he got the feeling that as much as he had told him some pretty damaging information, he still didn't entirely trust him. He couldn't even really use knowledge of it to blackmail the truth about Conan out of him- which he had reason to suspect now more than ever that he knew. Not so long as he knew his own secrets, at the very least. For the moment, it was for the best to keep the situation as it was. His deal with Paikaru- or rather, _Hattori Heiji_ , was more advantageous to him than it would be to sell him out.

Selling him out to _who_ , of course, was the real question. He'd promised not to say anything to Conan- but he'd said nothing about people like the police, the FBI, his own coworkers, or to the Organization itself. He'd never tell the FBI something like this in the first place- this was Japan, and this was a matter that needed to be solved by the Japanese, not some foreign power. The police had basically no idea the Organization existed, and somehow he got the feeling that telling _Hattori Heizo_ that his own son was a murderer probably would _not_ go over well.

For _himself_ , that was.

Selling him out the Organization was a terrible idea- not unless he wanted to be exposed himself in the process. Akai Shuichi was one thing- but he didn't know if his loyalty to Conan would be enough to keep Paikaru from telling the Organization the truth, as a way to divert their attention from his own actions. Either way, it wasn't worth the gamble.

Still, he couldn't help but feel it would be for the best if Paikaru simply bit the bullet, and told Conan the truth. Nodding his head as he heard Ran place her order, carefully writing it down in his notepad even as his thoughts dwelled on other matters, Amuro had to admit that he was vaguely interested in seeing how this situation turned out.

If there was one thing he couldn't help but wonder more than anything, however, it was if Vermouth was aware that her dog wasn't nearly as loyal to her as she thought he was.

Somehow, he got the feeling that she did.

* * *

"Aren't ya a little _old_ ta be dressin' up as a high school girl?"

"I think it looks rather nice on me." With a rather coy smile that didn't quite fit the fresh young face of her current disguise, Vermouth couldn't help but pick up either ends of her skirt, lifting them up in a mock curtsy. The fact that she could disguise herself as someone quite a bit younger than her apparent age was testament to her skills, really. "I am American, after all, I've never had occasion to wear anything like this before. I must admit, I do enjoy the experience."

"Spoken like a true old hag." Heiji couldn't help but observe, heaving a sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck. Of course, he knew full well about Vermouth's talent for disguise- it was because of that he could conceal his scar now. He had even had a few times to see it in action before. But he never really got used to it- and part of him was just grateful that she wasn't trying to do an Osakan accent to go with it. She'd probably do it perfectly, and honestly? That would just piss him off _more_ than someone doing it badly.

"You're the only one who would ever call me such a thing, you know. It's almost refreshing, in a way. Still rude, though." Vermouth couldn't help but observe, lifting her brows. "Well, a famous actress can't exactly walk around freely on a high school campus. And I'm sure you wouldn't want that boy to receive word that you had a clandestine meeting with Chris Vineyard, now would you?"

She had _clearly_ caught him out of his comfort zone, to boot. She had come to recognize when he flipped his switch, going from the high school detective to the Organization member, and it wasn't often that she had cause to speak with him as the former. There was something about being in the middle of his own campus- or behind the kendo dojo, to be more precise, that prevented him from doing so now. It was a bit amusing, in a way.

He was much more interesting to tease than Gin, at any rate. And teasing Bourbon, as she had long since learned, was a fruitless endeavor.

"An old hag is an old hag. I hear ya looked the same as ya did now when that FBI lady was a kid." Heiji observed, folding his arms in front of his chest, openly glowering towards her. The face that he could very clearly make out the voices of his kendo club mates whispering in the distance really didn't help matters- he knew that they couldn't actually hear anything the two of them were saying from this distance, but what did those guys think they were doing, slaking off like this? He'd have some words with them later, and there would be hell to pay if rumors made it to Kazuha that he was having a secret meeting with an unknown girl.

"So? What is it that ya want from me? Honestly, ya could have at least called me. Ya didn't have ta come all the way out here. It's trouble fer me." Heiji told her. He had been wondering what an upperclassman would have wanted with him- he almost hadn't noticed it _was_ her until she opened her mouth, really.

It made his skin crawl.

"An invitation." Reaching into her skirt pocket, Vermouth produced a sealed envelope, holding it out to him. "I've need of your language skills this time, as it were, _Hattori-kun_. The Organization is attempting to recruit a new scientist, and I've been instructed to gauge him myself, to see if he's really fit to join us. Unfortunately, I don't speak Korean as well as I would like."

As much as the sound of his real name on her lips made him twitch, Heiji nevertheless took the envelope from her, not yet opening it. Well, working as an interpreter was the _least_ objectionable thing they usually had him do- he could live with that. "An' so ya want me ta pick up yer slack, in other words."

"Indeed." Vermouth told him with a smile, one that fit the face of her disguise perfectly, but not that of her own. "I'm glad that you understand, Hattori-kun. The instructions are all inside of the invitation, and of course, you'll need to bring the invitation itself in order to gain access to the party. It will be a rather formal affair, so be sure to bring the proper clothes."

"And behave yourself, of course." She added, almost as an afterthought.

"What, ya don't want me ta gargle the whole punch bowl, embarrassin' ya in front of everyone?" It was a quip that he couldn't resist, even if he knew full well what she meant. His manners were admittedly lacking sometimes, he knew that much already. "Fine, fine. I'll behave. Anythin' else ya need me fer, or can I get back ta practice already?"

"That's all. If you need any further details, you know where to contact me."

* * *

"I heard from Ran, Hattori." Even over the phone, Heiji knew that teasing tone right away, and it was enough to make him groan- especially since he could guess what it was that he had heard about. "Kazuha-chan told her that you apparently got a love letter from an upperclassman at your school?"

"It wasn't a love letter, idiot!" Groaning as he fought the urge to outright hang up on Conan, Heiji instead leaned back in his chair, casting one eye towards the desk drawer where he had hidden the party invitation. "That's just a stupid rumor that idiot girl decided ta take at face value!"

"Then, what was it?" Conan asked, a teasing note still clear as day in his voice. If only he knew that the one he was teasing him about was _Vermouth_ \- well, Heiji actually kind of half wanted to see his expression upon learning that, for once. "I don't understand why someone as oblivious as you is so popular with women, Hattori."

"Yer just sayin' that cause yer stuck in a body that doesn't even reach up ta most people's knees. Jealousy, much?" Heiji teased right back, unable to help himself. "Well, even if it was a love letter, I would have just turned her down anyways. Ya know that better than anyone, Kudo."

"Yeah, but does Kazuha-chan know?" Conan asked. "Ran told me the other day that Kazuha-chan has been feeling a bit lonely lately. Just because you're worried about how you're going to confess to her doesn't mean it's a good idea to ignore her while you're doing that, Hattori."

"I know, I know." Heiji grumbled, grateful that this was a conversation that they were having over the phone. There was no smile on his face at the moment- only a solemn look, of someone who had already long since given up on something like that. "I don't wanna hear the detective boy wonder lecture me about my love life. An' I haven't been ignorin' her that much lately, either."

"Are you still worried about me, Hattori?" Changing the topic to something serious out of the blue was another one of Kudo's specialties, Heiji knew.

"Can ya blame me?" Heiji asked, closing his eyes. "Yer off chasin' a dangerous Organization over there, an' ya won't even let me do a darn thing ta help, no matter how many times I tell ya I'm here fer ya."

"We've already-"

"I know, I know, we've already gone over yer reasons. An' really Kudo, I'm flattered that ya think that much about me." Heiji's heart clenched at his own words, and he had to fight to keep that feeling from showing up in his voice. In this instance, he wasn't asking so that he could help him- but to hinder him. He would do whatever it took to prevent Kudo from realizing Paikaru's true identity, even if that meant getting in his way. "But I don't like feelin' useless."

"I'll be fine, Hattori. You know I'm not alone up here anymore." Conan reassured him. "I haven't been able to make much headway anyways. I'm not sure I even have anything that I _could_ ask of you, even if I wanted to."

"I guess even great detectives get stuck sometimes, huh?" Heiji couldn't help but tease, not quite feeling the faint smile that crossed his face. "Well, maybe what ya need is a break, Kudo. Somethin' ta take yer mind off of them fer a little while. Ya think too hard about something, yer like ta get yerself stuck in a rut."

"Well, you could say that I've got a break coming up." Conan told him. "Uncle got an invitation to some fancy party through his work. For a case _he_ solved, for once." He couldn't help but note. "Ran and I are invited as well, it seems. She's really looking forward to it, because one of her favorite drama stars will be there."

Given the absence of jealousy in his voice, Heiji could quickly guess that the drama star in question was probably a woman. He half wanted to tell Kudo that that didn't mean he didn't have nothing to worry about- but that was for a later day, maybe. Speaking of parties though... no, no, what were the odds of that? "A party, huh? What kind?"

"It's taking place in Tokyo. In Shibuya, I think. This Sunday, at the Grand Hotel." Conan told him.

"Heeh, this Sunday, huh?" Fighting the urge to tear into his desk drawer, all but ripping the invitation that Vermouth had given him from it's hiding place, Heiji felt his heart clench in his chest in a different way than it had before, a cold sweat trickling down the back of his neck. Somehow none of this was reflected in his voice, and once more, he found himself grateful that this was happening over a phone call.

Sunday, at the Grand Hotel, in Shibuya. The time and location were exactly the same. There was _no way_ that he wasn't talking about the _exact_ same party.

This was bad. This was bad, bad, _bad_.

"Well, I hope ya have fun, Kudo!" Somehow managing a cheery response, Heiji racked his brain, wondering what he should do. He couldn't turn Vermouth down- and he doubted she'd be attending the party wearing her own face anyways, so it wasn't like this would lead to Kudo catching her tail. Even as his thoughts reeled, he slowly began to piece together a plan- even if it involved something he never thought he would have to do again. "Ah, by the way, Kudo, can I drop by sometime this week, after school? I can meet ya at that Professor's place."

"Sure, but why?" Conan asked, wondering at the sudden change of topic.

"I can't talk ta ya about what I need with Neechan around, now can I? I gotta figure out a way ta clear up this love letter misunderstandin' with Kazuha, after all." Heiji said simply. That would do for getting him in, all he needed to do once he got there was to create an opportunity. He knew that old man had a stock of them leftover from when he had recalled them from production, after all, if one went missing, he probably wouldn't even notice. Even if he did, he would only think that he had misplaced it. "Just tellin' her it's not true isn't good enough."

The only thing left was to actually pull it off, and to get Vermouth to agree to it in the first place. He had a feeling that she would. Briefly, he wondered if he had chosen to invite him because she knew that Conan would be coming- but after a moment of thought, he dismissed the idea. She was a mysterious one, that woman, but she wasn't omnipotent.

"Ah, that." Conan said. "That's fine. How about this Friday?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Thanks Kudo. I'll treat ya ta dinner that night ta make up fer it. That little neechan too, if she wants." Heiji added, almost as an afterthought.

"Are you sure you just don't want to treat Haibara to a meal so she'll delete her ringtone?" Conan couldn't help but ask. "You'll need to do more than that for her, Hattori."

"Wait a second, hold up. Is that _seriously_ still her ringtone?"


	9. False Faces

**AN** : And here's chapter nine! As I mentioned last chapter, I was really excited to write this chapter because it contains some rather interesting developments- for me, at least. Hopefully everyone likes how this chapter plays out just as much as I do! As always, I thank you all for reading, especially those of you who have taken the time to review!

Until next time~!

* * *

 **Black Echo**

 **Chapter Nine**

 **False Faces**

* * *

"Are you looking for something, Professor?" With a slight frown on his face, Conan watched as the Professor pawed through yet another desk drawer. From the look of things, he had been doing that even before he had shown up to pay the man a visit.

"I seem to have misplaced one of the voice changing chokers somewhere." The Professor observed, a slight frown on his face. "It must have been the last time I did inventory. I was _sure_ that I had around thirteen of them leftover from when I recalled the product, Subaru-san's included, but I just can't seem to find one of them. Did you take it any point, Shinichi?"

"I haven't, sorry." Conan told him, shaking his head. Given that there hadn't been any signs of intrusion into the Professor's place, he wasn't all that worried- it had probably just been misplaced somewhere, or he'd miscounted somewhere along the line. It _definitely_ wasn't the first time something like that had happened, and probably wouldn't be the last either. Even Ai didn't seem all that ruffled by this, so it's probably wasn't anything serious. "Well, I'm sure it'll turn up eventually. Probably in the last place you look, as usual."

"I fail to see how anything else would be possible." Ai said simply, glancing over towards Conan. "So? What brings you here today, Kudo-kun? Don't you have a rather fancy party to attend with that girl from the detective agency tonight? Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"It's not as if getting ready for a party takes all day. I'm just fine on time." Conan told her, sparing the Professor one last look, before he turned to face Ai. He didn't want to admit that he had gotten out of the apartment for awhile to escape from Ran's increasing excitement- it was pretty cute, all things considered, but there was only so much of it that he could deal with. He couldn't really deny that there was a small part of him that was a bit jealous about it, as ridiculous he knew such feelings were.

He wasn't about to admit _that_ to anyone, not a million years.

"I see." Ai said, glancing back down at her fashion magazine. "Did you come by to ask me about Paikaru again? I've already told you everything I know."

"No, that's not it." Conan said, shaking his head. There were certainly things that Ai was keeping from him here and there, but she would usually tell her things when he asked her directly. He had no reason to believe that she was keeping any further information from him- if she said she didn't know anything more, she probably didn't. "I need the Professor to repair my Detective Boys badge, actually. That old man spilled something on it last night- probably beer, from the smell of it."

"Ahh, that would do it." Glancing up from the desk drawer he was rifling through, Agasa shut it with a slight frown, deciding to put the search aside for the time being. He had probably just misplaced it somewhere, or had miscounted- he had a tendency to do that sort of thing. With Ai around, he did that sort of thing a bit less these days, but from time to time, it still happened. "I'll take a look at it for you, Shinichi. I should probably have it fixed for you by tomorrow. I'll give it to Ai-kun so she can bring it to you at school, if you don't have an urgent need for it."

"Sorry to trouble you, Professor." Conan told him, pulling the badge out from his pocket. "Ran gave that uncle one hell of a lecture though, so I think he'll be a little bit more careful from now on. Or well, at least for around a month or so, he will be. After that, he'll probably go right back to his usual careless habits."

"Sounds like you have it rough." Ai observed, watching as he passed over the badge to the Professor. "Speaking of people who have it rough, has Hattori-kun contacted you yet? He came all the way out here and even involved _me_ in the matter, so I would hope that he managed to clear up that misunderstanding with that Toyama girl."

"Yeah, he said everything worked out, more or less." Conan told her, shaking his head. He didn't really peg Ai as the type to be interested in this sort of thing, but perhaps she simply found Heiji's predicament amusing. He couldn't deny that as much sympathy as he felt for him, on some level, he felt very much the same way. "But in the end, he still couldn't tell her the most important thing. Although he _did_ ask if you had changed your ringtone yet."

"If he thinks that taking me out to eat at a family restaurant is enough to convince me to delete it, maybe he needs to reconsider detective work." Ai noted simply, pulling out her cellphone, playing the audio file once more, a hint of a smile crossing her face. "He's going to have to do more than _that_ for me if he wants me to get rid of something this amusing."

"That's what I figured." Conan said, letting out something of an awkward laugh. He would have to message Heiji about the bad news later. Since he had been the one to give the audio file to the rest of the Detective Boys in the first place, he couldn't deny that he didn't find the end result rather funny. Well, that was what his rival got for making fun of him all the time.

At the very least, he was glad that Heiji had started calling him regularly again. Whatever had been so eating away at his thoughts must have been solved- or at the very least, he had just decided to stop thinking about it. The timing was pretty good as well- the news that he had heard coming out of Osaka lately was more than enough to worry him. From the sound of it, tensions were heating up between two rival yakuza groups after the murder of one of their leaders, and while he didn't think Heiji was stupid enough to get himself involved in something like that, well...

He was _definitely_ reckless enough to try and stop something, if it happened right in front of him. He supposed that Heiji's strong sense of justice and his strong desire to protect others were good things, but he couldn't help but worry that he was going to one day put himself in danger because of them. Hell, he'd _already_ done that much once before- if only he had stuck a bit closer to his side, maybe Heiji wouldn't have gone and gotten himself shot.

Really, that guy made him worry about him enough as it was, he _definitely_ didn't need to be involved any further with the investigation of the Organization.

"Speaking of people with Osakan accents though, have you made any progress with your search?" Ai asked, glancing up from her magazine again. "For Paikaru, that is. You _are_ still looking for him, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Conan said, nodding his head, a rather grim look crossing his face at the mention of the codename. "For the moment, I'm kind of stuck. In a way, that might actually be a good thing. It might mean that he's not actually working out of this area after all, if I haven't been able to pick up a trace of him after that one incident. Still, I can't say that I like having come so close to him without even learning anything about him, nevermind not being able to _catch_ him."

"Well, I always did hear he was rather skilled at what he does. He probably isn't someone that's easy to catch." Ai said simply. "You should just consider yourself lucky that he decided not to kill you right there. That blonde woman from the FBI should be even more grateful."

"I keep wondering about that too." Conan mused, folding his arms in front of his chest, his brows furrowing together in thought. "He planted a bomb in order to ensure that we wouldn't be able to get any information about what he looked like, it doesn't make sense that he wouldn't try and kill Jodie-sensei if he had the chance. He could have simply shot her in the dark, but he didn't even _try_."

"He certainly has the skills to be able to, from what I understand." Ai said simply, a slight frown crossing her face. In truth, that had been bothering her ever since she had weaseled the information out from Conan. The impression that she had gotten of Paikaru while she was in the Organization was not that of someone willing to spare anyone who had so much as caught a glimpse of him. "Well, he is known as the Organization's loyal dog, though. Perhaps he simply didn't want to do anything without orders from someone higher up."

"Even so..." Conan trailed off, scratching his head in frustration, heaving a long sigh. "Hattori was right. I really _do_ need to take a short break from thinking about this. All I'm doing now is chasing my own thoughts around in circles."

"In that case, I hope you enjoy tonight." Ai said simply, before glancing back over towards him, a hint of a mischievous smile crossing her face. "Well, unless that detective agency girl catches the eye of that drama actress that she's so excited to meet at this party you're going to, and she decides to whisk her off of her feet. I'm not sure some ever absent high school detective could really compare to someone as famous as that."

"That _won't_ happen." Conan grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. "...probably."

* * *

"I must say, I never thought the day would come when I would have the chance to use my skills on _you_ , of all people. Much less that you would be the one to ask me to do it."

"Ya know I wouldn't be askin' ya ta do this if I had any other choice." Although he grumbled at her touch, Heiji nevertheless put up with it for the time being. If he didn't sit still, this would only take even _longer_ , and frankly, he just wanted this whole thing over with. "Since I doubt ya'd let me back out from this if I just asked ya nicely. If anythin', ya probably find this situation amusin'."

"As expected of a detective," Vermouth simply noted, patting one of his cheeks with an amused smile, before turning on her heel, readying herself to properly begin preparations. If she had to be honest, the prospect of using her skills on someone that Yukiko had a chance to play with once before was something that she was quite excited by. Really, she almost wished she could have been there to see it herself, rather than hear about it secondhand from a very confused Vodka. "...you're as sharp as always. I will tell you that I didn't expect him to be in attendance, at the very least. I'm quite surprised as well."

It wouldn't change any of their plans- it was a bit too late for that anyways.

"He always had a knack fer that sort of thing. I'm sure ya know that better than anyone, though." Heiji noted, glancing over towards her, grumbling a little as he rubbed his cheek. "At any rate, there's no way I can show _my_ face there, fer the same reason ya can't show yer own. It would be a pain in the ass ta explain later."

And given how damn _perceptive_ Kudo was, there was a chance that he might come to realize that there were Organization members at the party. Be it during the party itself, or afterwards, Heiji would be hard pressed to explain why he had been there- and why he had been with the ones that had fallen under Kudo's suspicions. As much misplaced faith as he put in him, that wasn't something that he would be able to worm his way out of. He didn't even want to try.

"Well, fear not. When I'm done with you, he won't be able to recognize you as Hattori Heiji." Vermouth noted simply. "I suppose it suits our purposes just as well. I'm sure you know what we'll have to do if our negotiations tonight fail, Paikaru."

"Of course I know. I'm already prepared fer that." As Heiji closed his eyes, taking in and letting out a deep breath, he felt his usual self slipping away, Paikaru's mask taking it's place. Tonight's business had no place for the high school detective of the west, even if it didn't go beyond simple translation work. And if it did, then he had no need for the sorts of emotions that he had now sealed up, putting them underneath lock and key.

Tonight, more than ever, he needed to _bury_ Hattori Heiji underneath Paikaru, in a way that he had tried to avoid doing ever since he had come to the decision that he was going to lie to the Organization about Kudo Shinichi's survival. If he didn't do something like that, he knew there was too much of a chance that he would expose himself in front of the one he was trying to protect, too much of a chance that he would let something slip in front of him that would be better hidden. Even if they didn't interact directly, he couldn't underestimate just how perceptive that guy was. If he did anything to seriously catch his attention...

He _had_ to be someone else tonight- the fact that tonight's mask wasn't just metaphorical could only stretch so far.

"That's the main reason ya called _me_ , as opposed ta someone else, right? Honestly, try doin' some of yer own damn dirty work fer once, ya old hag." Paikaru finished, peeking one eye open towards her.

"Oh, if you keep calling me something like that, I might turn you into an old man tonight." Vermouth said lightly, letting out a small laugh at the cold glare that her words earned her. "I'm only joking. That's far too much unnecessary work and you'd never sell it."

"Just get it over with already." Paikaru told her, his tone taking on a rather cold, impatient edge. "Ya still have yer own disguise ta take care of aside from mine, don't ya? These sorts of things take time, if I recall."

"Well, perhaps for Yukiko, they do. She never _could_ quite match up to me or our teacher, in the end, though I won't deny she has some talent." Vermouth noted lightly. "How did it feel to be able to play your beloved Kudo Shinichi for one night, Paikaru? I've always been curious."

"Keep bein' curious, I ain't tellin' ya. An' he's not my _beloved_ anythin'." Paikaru retorted, narrowing his eyes. There was no way that he was going to go into that with _her_ , of all people. He wasn't going to deny that he had some rather complicated feelings about that- having the chance to play someone who could face the world with pride, even as he tried to hide from it, had been an experience for him. He couldn't decide if it was a good one or a bad one, and he would rather not repeat it to find out.

If there was one thing that he understood from experience, it was that he lost himself underneath masks a bit _too_ easily. Even now, there were times when it was tempting to once more sink back into that of Paikaru's, to never have to feel the things he felt when he took it back off. To never have to come to terms with the weight of the things that he was doing, to never have to deal with it. To harden his heart and become numb, to turn the cheerful and easygoing face of Hattori Heiji into nothing more than a mask. It was tempting- but he would never do it, never again.

Being Paikaru was easy, but it wasn't who he wanted to be. As much pain as it brought him sometimes, in the end, he didn't want to have to be anyone else but Hattori Heiji.

It was a bit ironic that he was thinking on that now, considering that he would _have_ to become someone else, at least for the duration of an evening. But considering his options, this was probably the best path to take. If everything went well, perhaps they wouldn't even directly cross paths- though he knew that even if he tried not to, his eyes would end up searching for the small figure of his shrunken friend anyways.

Really, what a bothersome guy. Honestly, who asked him to have such a troublesome personality, anyways? If it weren't for that, he wouldn't be in this situation right now in the first place. He would have simply done his job back then, and moved on with his life, never having to worry or even _think_ about his so-called rival again. Still, as much as that would have been easier, in the long run, he couldn't help but be grateful for it. Because Kudo Shinichi was who he was, and because he had that kind of personality, even someone like himself had been able to change for the better, to return from a place he never expected to be able to.

If there was one regret that he really had, it wasn't telling him the truth when he actually had the chance- before their bonds had grown so strong, that voicing it would destroy everything. Maybe they wouldn't have become as close as they had- if he had known the truth from early on, he probably would have always kept a certain distance from him. It was painful for him to think about, not having forged the same friendship that he had with him, but in the end, it would have made things easier for everyone.

Still, if there was something that he could do to help him, even if that meant putting himself in danger, he would be glad to help him. He owed him that much- and so much more, for all of the constant lies. A chain of lies that would only increase tonight- and even though it was a chain of lies that was necessary to protect him, it was a chain that he still regretted creating in the first place.

"Now then," Vermouth's voice broke him out of his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. "Let's get started on this, shall we? We don't want to be late for the party."

* * *

"So? Where's that drama actress that you've been talking about nonstop ever since you heard she was going to be here?" Kogoro's rather dry expression wasn't one meant to dampen his daughter's excitement- but honestly, there was only so much he could take of listening to Ran singing the praises of an actress that he knew nothing about. The fact that _Ran_ was the one often in his own shoes was completely lost on him, probably not even entering his head even once.

It certainly wasn't lost on _Conan_ , who merely cast a rather incredulous look up towards the much older man. Really, a teenage girl gushing about someone she admired was far more tolerable than a grown man gushing about some idol that he didn't stand a chance with, no matter how nice Okino Yoko could be to him. The odds of things working out between the two of them were lower than the odds of him miraculously waking up tomorrow to find out this all had been a dream.

How nice that would be.

"Mm, I don't see her... _ah_!" Cutting herself short as she glanced around the room, a bright smile crossing her face that almost made his vague feelings of jealousy worth it, Ran turned towards her father. "See? She's over there. I'm going to go see if I can get her autograph. Do you want to come with me, Conan-kun?"

"Yeah!" Nodding his head, Conan flashed a smile up towards her, glancing around the room himself. Perhaps it was just the result of his own paranoia, but ever since that ill fated party where he had crossed paths with the Organization member known as Pisco with Ai, and had unwittingly crossed paths with Vermouth, he couldn't help but find himself searching the crowd at these sorts of places, searching for any trace of them. Of course, the odds that they would be here were rather low- just because he had run into them once at this sort of place, didn't mean that it was going to happen again.

Besides, he was here to have a short break from thinking about _them_. There was no point in that if he spent the entire time wondering if any of their number was amongst the crowd. As much as his current lack of progress frustrated him, he'd rather _not_ run into them anywhere where Ran was by his side- or hell, even _Kogoro_ for that matter. The latter had come way too close to being snuffed out by them- if it weren't for Akai, the uncle's life might have ended that afternoon.

He would have never forgiven himself for that. It had been too close, _far_ too close- and more than anything, it had taught him the value of keeping those close to him out of harm's way, by not involving them any further than he absolutely had to. Even if there were a few of them who wanted to butt into without _any_ regard for their own safety.

"Then, let's go!" Ran almost chirped, taking his hand, careful not to rub off the stamp that they had been given upon entering the ballroom. It would be a problem if he couldn't get back in later if he needed to leave. "I wonder if it would be rude to ask for an autograph for Sonoko as well."

"If it's Sonoko-neechan, she might have met them already." Conan told her. "She does seem to know all sorts of people, after all. Like at the pool with Sera-neechan, remember?"

"How could I forget something like that?" Ran said, heaving a long sigh. Someone had died after all, and in such a memorable way on top of that. It had honestly gotten to the point where she sometimes _expected_ to run into murders whenever she went somewhere with _anyone_ who considered themselves a detective. If she kept her expectations at an absolute low, she wouldn't be disappointed when something like that happened.

Okay, she'd be a _little_ disappointed.

"But I don't think Sonoko would have met someone like this without telling me about it." Ran added, a slight frown crossing her face. "She knows how much I like her drama, after all."

"That's true." Conan admitted after a moment. "But why do you like her drama so much anyways, Ran-neechan? I thought you weren't usually the sort of person who got so into these things."

"Ah, well..." Flushing a slight shade of red, Ran cast her eyes away from him, seeming to consider her words. After a moment, she chanced a glance back down towards him again, her face no less red than it had been earlier. "W-well, don't tell that _mystery freak_ this, but her character sort of reminds me of him. Whenever I watch it, it's a bit like he's kind of here. Ah, but don't get me wrong, that's not the only reason! I also think the plot's really interesting! Yeah!"

"Ehhh, is that so?" Unable to help himself, Conan felt a wide grin cross his face, even as a faint tint of pink touched his own cheeks. Well, unfortunately for her and perhaps fortunately for him, Shinichi now knew- and couldn't help but be pleased by this information. "I'm sure Shinichi-niisan would be happy to hear something like that! Ah, but I promise not to tell him, Ran-neechan, so you don't have to worry about a thing!"

"Be sure to keep your promise, okay?" Ran insisted, before smiling a little again. Just as Conan had said, that mystery freak had finally gotten around to calling her again recently- and had been filled with profuse apologies, _for once_ , for being so busy. They still hadn't been able to talk about what happened in London just yet, but perhaps that sort of thing was better saved for when they saw each other in person next.

Whenever _that_ would be. They hadn't seen each other even once since London. She had never even really found out what it was that he was even _doing_ there in the first place.

"I will!" Nodding his head, Conan allowed himself to be lead across the ballroom floor by Ran, carefully weaving his way around people who could honestly afford to be paying a bit more attention. As he was thinking about that, he found his attention being drawn elsewhere, a slight frown crossing his face. He didn't even realize that he had stopped in his tracks until Ran called out for him, asking if something was wrong.

"Ah, no." Quickly shaking his head, Conan looked back up to her, giving her a smile in order to dash away whatever look might have been on his face. He certainly didn't want to give her any cause to worry about him. "It's nothing, Ran-neechan. I just got a bit distracted."

It wasn't a lie- for a moment, he had caught sight of someone's back, a figure that tugged at his memory. For a moment, for just a moment, he felt a dark dread seep through him- before he had let out a long breath, realizing that the height was wrong- they were too tall to be that person. The young man in question was deeply involved in a conversation with his two companions, neither of which Conan recognized either, one that he could only faintly make out.

He must have really been more bothered by Paikaru slipping through his fingers than he had thought, if he was seeing phantoms of his back everywhere. He was already seeing Rum in almost every one eyed person that he met, and now this? Heiji was right, he really _did_ need to take a short break from his own thoughts. The last thing he needed was to develop full blown paranoia.

After all, what were the odds that he would run into the Organization at a place like this again? Even his own luck wasn't _that_ bad.

* * *

From the very moment he felt eyes on his back, he had an idea as to who they belonged to. He didn't even need to turn around and glance behind him to check, though the temptation was certainly there. He knew that gaze, and when it left his back without much of a fuss, moving on, he felt himself releasing a breath that he hadn't fully been aware that he'd been holding. Whatever it was that Kudo thought he had seen in his back- be it the familiar back of a friend, or the back of an enemy that had managed to slip through his grasp, in the end, he had likely decided that it was nothing worth thinking about.

That was good. If he could see through the disguise that he was wearing so easily, one that he didn't even recognize himself in, it would make the whole thing pointless. There was nothing obvious to give him away- although Vermouth had opted to match the color of his mask to the color of his skin, rather than try and alter it with makeup, the telltale scar on his hand had been one of the _first_ things that she had concealed. Watching out of the corner of his eye as the shrunken detective made his way across the room, hand in hand with Ran, he only fully turned his attention back towards the two he was with once he disappeared from his line of sight. He already knew that Vermouth had caught a glimpse of him as well, judging from the brief look she exchanged with him.

If Kudo had any idea that the Organization was boldly recruiting a new member in the middle of a bustling party, he'd probably tear out his hair. The fact that they were quietly doing it in a mix of English and Korean, words a tapestry of vague allusions and code that was sometimes admittedly _annoyingly hard_ to translate properly, meant that even if someone overheard what they were saying, the chances of them understanding what was going on were next to nothing. If things needed to get a bit more involved, then they could always retire to the hotel room that they had instructed the man to rent.

They had already circled the ballroom, searching for anyone who was watching the scientist that they were meeting with, trying to see if he had really come here alone, before actually meeting with the man. The fact that the Organization was recruiting a genetics researcher was noteworthy to him, and it was information that he filed away for later. They weren't going too much into detail in regards to what the Organization wanted him for- and he knew that Vermouth was doing so on purpose, mindful of the one that she had brought with her.

Determining that there was no one here with him, as he had promised, and that he didn't seem to be wired in any way, they had moved to phase two- negotiations. All while keeping an eye out for any hints that he could possibly have ulterior motives of his own- ever since the past three moles in the Organization had been uncovered, they had become much more cautious about that sort of things. As far as he knew, Kir and Bourbon were the only ones left.

Aside from _himself_ , of course, but he wasn't entirely certain he quite counted. He wasn't working for anyone- in the end, he was just doing what he wanted, for his own selfish reasons. Even if those reasons involved his desire to protect people, that didn't change the fact that at their core, they were selfish. If they weren't, he would have long ago since told Kudo the truth- it was his selfish desire to cling to this unexpected friendship that he had formed that prevented him from saying anything.

Honestly, what a despicable guy he was.

As strange as it was to be in the same room as Kudo, and to not even have him recognize him, such thoughts slipped to the back of his mind. As long as the measures that he had taken to prevent Kudo, and by extension, those with him, from recognizing him worked, that was all that mattered. His job right now was to serve as Vermouth's translator, as she worked to convince this scientist to join the Organization, luring him in with a promise of funding for his research. And on the off chance that he refused, or showed any signs of duplicitous intentions, his _other_ job was to ensure that he didn't leave this hotel alive.

He could only hope that he accepted. For the moment, it looked like it was going well, but experience told him that the tide could change at any moment. In the event that it did, he already had a plan in the back of his mind to clean things up if negotiations failed, having long since sealed away the small part of him that would have felt any remorse for thinking about such things. He already knew a bit too much to be allowed to leave here with his life if he refused them. In ordinary circumstances, the guy probably would have been allowed to live- but with the FBI breathing down their neck, the Organization wasn't taking any chances. The two of them would likely be long gone before anyone even managed to discover the body.

Still, he'd really rather _avoid_ leaving Kudo with another murder that he wouldn't be able to solve. One that he couldn't afford for him to solve, because the closer he drew to the solution, the closer he would draw to the truth. He'd come to this party to get his mind off the Organization, to recollect his thoughts so that he could face them again with a fresher perspective. Not to deal with the very person who had been causing him so much frustration in the first place- and judging from the faint sound of Ran's voice that he could make out at the edge of his hearing, it would appear that the two of them were having a rather nice time.

If there was one thing that this all drove home to him, it was the fact that even though they would sometimes intersect, the two of them really did live in two different worlds.

"While I certainly appreciate your rather generous offer, Miss Vermouth-"

 _Ahh_. This guy just _had_ to go and say something like that- talk about being someone who couldn't read the mood! It was all Paikaru could do to keep himself from actually letting out the long, drawn out sight that he practically felt in the depths of his soul. And to think that he had thought that tonight, all he would be doing was a simple translator job.

He should have known that _nothing_ he ever did for _them_ would be simple. If Vermouth's negotiation skills couldn't salvage this, then the poor guy's fate would have been sealed. He'd probably be able to dredge up some small amount of pity for him later, but for the moment, he was already in the process of putting the first phase of the plan into action.

"Well, don't say that." Flashing the scientist a broad smile, Paikaru exchanged a faint glance with Vermouth, communicating his intentions silently towards her. "Why don't we discuss this a little more properly in yer room, before ya make any decisions like that? Over a nice bottle of champagne, perhaps?"

"Ah, well..." Although a small amount of hesitation was clear on the man's face, he slowly nodded his head. "Yes, that sounds fine. I was just getting a bit thirsty."

* * *

If there was one thing that solving countless murders had taught him, it was to learn from their mistakes. Filing away information from previous cases not only served to make him a better detective, but it also served to make him more valuable to the Organization. It was for that reason that he had begun to lose the passion that he once had for detective work, to the point where it had almost been extinguished by the time he had first met Kudo Shinichi.

His passion for detective work might have returned to him, but the habit had remained behind. Even when he was working on cases with Kudo himself, he would still find himself mentally cataloging every mistake that had been made, every tell that the culprit had shown, every piece of evidence that the police had picked up on, as well as what they hadn't. Such things he would remember later, when they would become useful for his other line of work.

What had he been called by that guy back on that island? An unqualified detective? Honestly- even though the guy who had called him that had no right to say it himself, he couldn't exactly say that he was _wrong_. A detective should only ever put what they had learned from previous cases to work in solving new ones- not in creating a case themselves. Someone who also took lives really had no right to call themselves a detective.

"Honestly, ya should have just agreed ta the deal, idiot. Makin' me go through all this trouble... what a pain." Heaving a long sigh, Paikaru rubbed the back of his neck, casting a final glance down at the body. Poison had been the weapon of choice this time, slipped into his champagne glass when he wasn't looking. Vermouth had already left the room, heading towards the security room, to deal with the matter of the recordings. When the police checked later, they wouldn't find any record of anyone else entering the room with the victim, nor any record of anyone else leaving it.

Such an editing trick probably wouldn't fool someone like Kudo, and it sure wasn't a trick he'd be dumb enough to try and pull in _Osaka_ , but the Tokyo police probably wouldn't give it so much as a second look. After all, the scene looked like that of a suicide- Vermouth had even prepared a suicide note for the man ahead of time, imitating even his signature perfectly.

She really was a seriously scary woman.

Well, not that he was much better. Not only had he been the one to poison him, he had also been the one to arrange the room as if it really had been a suicide, drawing on countless scenarios he had experienced before as a frame of reference. Erasing all traces of the two of them being there had been rather easy, forming a mental check list of the places that he needed to wipe down, erasing any signs of fingerprints, carefully washing out their own champagne glasses and putting them back where they been previously.

"Well, it probably won't be good enough ta fool someone like Kudo, though." He couldn't help but observe, once more checking the scene for anything that looked even slightly out of place. The hotel's doors locked automatically, and the room had been rented in his name, so there were no problems there. "But it's not as if he'll be able ta connect _me_ ta it in the first place."

Well, not _Hattori Heiji_ , anyways. If he caught wind of this, he might still be able to connect Paikaru, or at the very least, the Organization, to this murder. What fooled the police probably wouldn't fool his eyes- but just knowing it wasn't a suicide wouldn't be enough to tell him anything more. For a moment, he considered leaving behind a thread for him- but he couldn't do something like that. If the Organization were to find out about it later, it would only be trouble for him.

Besides, given the way he had felt Kudo's eyes on his back in the ballroom, he had probably filed away the faces of his companions as well. That was just the way that he worked- and that alone would be enough of a thread for him. Carefully opening up the door, using a handkerchief to prevent from getting his fingerprints on it, he carefully checked the hallway, making sure that nobody was there to see him leave. Confirming that it was empty, he made his way down it, making for the elevator, where he would head to the first floor, and meet up with Vermouth there.

And leave the party- and Kudo- behind.

Or that was the plan, at any rate.

Hearing the sound of his cellphone ring, Paikaru frowned, plucking it out of his suit pocket. It was unusual for Vermouth to call him like this. Had something happened?

"What's wrong?" Answering the call without so much as a prelude, Paikaru's brows knitted together. "Did somethin' happen?"

"It would appear that there's something of a commotion in the ballroom." Vermouth noted, a rather stern tone to her voice, one that he couldn't help but find unusual. "I noticed it in the security room while I was editing the recordings. Where are you now?"

"In the elevator, headin' ta the lobby, like we planned. Where are ya?" Paikaru asked, having a bad feeling about this. When someone told him that there was a commotion, his mind almost instantly darted to one possibility- that someone had been murdered. "Oi, don't tell me...?"

"That's right." Vermouth said sharply, letting out a rather long, drawn out sigh. "It would seem that someone was murdered in the ballroom. Some famous actress, or something like that. I would advise you to leave the hotel as quickly as possible, before you get caught in that boy's net."

"A famous actress, huh?" Stepping out of the elevator and into the lobby, Paikaru made a face as he turned towards the doors. He didn't even need Vermouth's earlier words to guess who was responsible for this. This really wasn't looking good for him, though- seriously, he really _did_ have the worst luck. Maybe he _should_ have taken the chance of bringing Kazuha's charm with him tonight- not that he ever wanted to carry something that precious with him when he was doing something like this. "No good, they've already sealed off the main entrance. Honestly, Kudo works fast. Can I get out any other way?"

The last thing he wanted was to end up as one of Kudo's _suspects_ , as vaguely hilarious as a part of him actually found that scenario. He wasn't worried about him seeing through Vermouth's disguise work so much as he was worried about his own personality- around Kudo, his usual self might shine through, even past Paikaru's mask, no matter how hard he tried to bury it. Even just a hint of it would be enough to plant a seed in his mind, even if he didn't realize what it meant right away.

"I've already left the hotel myself, so I wouldn't know." Vermouth said simply. "You might do well to hide somewhere until the commotion is over, Paikaru. Knowing that boy, he'll probably wrap the case up rather quickly. Of course, you could always return to being Hattori Heiji, and offer to help him."

"If I could do somethin' like that, then there wouldn't be a problem in the first place." Paikaru dryly remarked, a look of irritation crossing his face, as he carefully gauged his options, bringing up the blueprints of the hotel that he had memorized just in case. Even if he hadn't gone anywhere near the actress, right now he didn't have an alibi, which he already knew wasn't good. The fact that it was the doors to the hotel's main entrance that he had asked to be sealed off clued him into the fact that he knew that the culprit had been trying to flee that way- since he was down here, that also worked against his favor. If the police were to demand a body check, there was a chance that they might notice the disguise- and they would _definitely_ notice the voice changer around his neck.

Not to mention the corpse of a man that he had been spotted with just waiting to be found by someone in his hotel room. Honestly, for causing him this much trouble, he wanted to have more than a few words with whoever the damn culprit was himself.

It would be best to hide for the moment, and come out when everything was over. He might not know any of the details of the case, but what he _did_ know was that it wouldn't take Kudo any time at all to solve it.

As long as they didn't run into each other, everything would be-

"Hey, mister, where are you going?"

Silently hanging up his phone, glancing down towards the curious face of what he knew _wasn't_ a child, there was really only one word that came to his mind in this sort of situation.

 _Fuck_.


	10. There's Nothing Worse Than Not Knowing

**AN** : Oh hey, here's chapter ten! We're entering double digit chapters now, kinda depressing that this story has yet to even break twenty reviews though, ahahaha. Still, as always, I thank everyone for reading and I hope you stay with me for the future. To those of you just joining us with this chapter, hello to you all as well!

Well, until next time!

* * *

 **Black Echo**

 **Chapter Ten**

 **There's Nothing Worse Than Not Knowing**

* * *

"Hey mister, where are you going?"

In the back of his mind, Paikaru couldn't help but feel like he suddenly understood why it was that Edogawa Conan creeped adults out sometimes- as innocent as his curious expression appeared to be, there was definitely something _else_ behind it. He had long since had some kind of vague idea regarding this, but having such a gaze turned completely on him for a change certainly was an enlightening experience. If being a detective didn't work out for him, he should probably consider becoming a child actor specializing in horror movies.

"Ah, just a second, there's some kid talkin' ta me." With his cellphone still in hand, Paikaru allowed himself only a second's time for his mind to reel at this development. Turning slightly on his heel to face the child that he knew full well wasn't a child, he gave him something of a small smile. Hopefully it didn't look half as strained as he thought it felt. "What is it that ya want? I was kind of in the middle of somethin' here, ya know."

Since disguising his accent might only make him look more suspicious- he wasn't very good at it, after all, he made no attempts to conceal it. Sure enough, for a moment, there was a shadow of something that flashed underneath those eyes, as if Conan were considering something. He could also see him just as quickly decide to put those thoughts to the side for the moment.

From that alone, he knew that he would probably be able to figure out a part of the truth regarding the other murder that had taken place at the hotel on this evening. That it was no suicide- and that it was probably the Organization's work. If he had asked that scientist girl about him, he might have been able to find out the fact that the Organization member known as Paikaru had an Osakan accent- that wasn't entirely uncommon knowledge within the Organization, after all. No doubt he would be able to determine that he was the culprit behind the murder.

Even if the body weren't discovered while Conan was still here, the detail would likely stick out to him if he read something about it in the papers. That was just how his minded worked.

Well, if that could give him something of a lead to the Organization's activities, then perhaps that wasn't the worst thing that could happen. Perhaps if he chased the thread that was the man's research, he might even be able to uncover something. If that was the case, then it might even be for the best.

Although frankly, he could do _without_ being pegged as a suspect for a murder that he had _nothing_ to do with. Honestly, what was the culprit of that one thinking? Messing up his otherwise pretty solid plans- what a pain.

Still, few people knew the way Kudo's brain worked better than him. So long as he played his cards right, he could get out of this situation without any problems. He had spent the past year or so watching him interact with murderers with all kinds of personalities and motives, he just needed to draw from that experience in order to weasel himself out of this situation and off of the would be suspects list. As long as he created a chance to get away from him for even a little while, he could probably escape from here.

Hopefully not by jumping from a third story window again, though. His leg had only recently stopped hurting.

"Didn't you hear about what happened in the ballroom, mister?" Conan inquired, putting aside the somewhat unsettled feeling that had risen up within him from the moment the man had spoke. He wasn't seriously going to start suspecting every man with an Osakan accent from now on, was he? At that rate, he would never be able to go back to Osaka again, and he knew right away that Heiji would _absolutely hate_ that idea.

At the thought of his friend, he couldn't help but feel something _else_ tug at him, a vague something that he couldn't quite place. What was that?

It might have been nothing more than the slight resemblance the young man bore to his rival- although frankly, they really had nothing in common save for their dark skin and their Osakan accents. Just that alone was enough to make him think of his friend though- though he guessed that was to be expected. When one coupled those two things together, it was always Heiji that he automatically thought of first. Rather, in spite of knowing several of them, whenever someone even mentioned something along the lines of a 'dark skinned young man', Heiji was usually the first person he thought of these days.

"From the stamp on your hand, we were probably just at the same party, right?" Conan asked, holding up his own hand, displaying the stamp on it. "See? They're the same!"

"Yeah, I was there." Paikaru told him, puling the phone away from his face for a second. There was no doubt that Vermouth had been able to hear Conan's voice from the other end of the phone. At the very least, they would be able to get their stories somewhat straight in the event that he needed to call her back in here- provided she didn't just up and abandon him, like she might very well do. "Did somethin' happen? I stepped out fer awhile myself. One of my companions wasn't feelin' very good, so my friend took him home. Probably drank a bit too much."

Whatever happened, he wanted to avoid being pegged as a suspect for the other murder. The longer he remained here, the higher the chance was that he would be exposed- be it for the murder that he had _actually_ committed, or be it for his connection to the Organization. Not to mention his real identity- and that was something that he couldn't allow to come out under any circumstances.

At the very least, Conan didn't seem to recognize him, even when he was talking to him face to face. As much as he hated to admit it, Vermouth really _did_ have a natural talent for this sort of thing- even Kazuha might not be able to recognize him right now. Taking one of the spare voice changers from that Professor had been the right call. He'd be keeping that thing around for quite some time, probably.

"Someone was killed, you know!" Conan told him, a very concerned look crossing his face. "Isn't that awful?"

"Eh? Really? That's certainly awful." Paikaru said after a moment, sparing a glance over towards the hotel doors. "So that's why the doors are sealed off, huh? I was just about ta meet up with my friend again, when I noticed the staff blockin' the exit. But ta think a thing like that could happen in the middle of such a crowded party. What exactly happened anyways?"

He couldn't exactly deny that there was a part of him that was curious about the case- and a part of him that was itching to help Conan solve it. For tonight though, he would have to swallow what little pride as a detective he had left, and resist that urge. It would be bad if he got carried away giving a deduction and started acting like, well, _himself_.

"A famous actress was killed. Someone stabbed her during a blackout, I think." Conan told him, masking his considering look beneath his childlike gaze. There was something about this man's words that was bothering him, but he couldn't quite tell what it was. He had already recognized him as the one who he had spotted in the middle of the party- the one whose back had caught his attention. Looking at him again confirmed that he was indeed too tall to be the one that he had just missed the other day, but it didn't help the uneasy feeling that he was carrying with him.

What was it? What was it that was bugging him so much? The fact that he couldn't even begin to place what it was only bothered him more in turn- his instincts were usually _better_ than this.

Still, it _was_ true that he hadn't seen this man or his companions in the ballroom for awhile. The companion that had gotten sick must have been the other man that he had been speaking with- from what he could recall, he looked to be of foreign descent. That meant that it was probably the woman who he was on the phone with now, who he had been trying to meet. He hadn't been able to make out any of their conversation before he had approached him, but he had looked pretty surprised to see the blockade at the door. It could be a pure coincidence that he was down here now, trying to leave the hotel.

"Eh? A blackout?" Paikaru blinked. Nothing like that had happened where he had been- then again, the ballroom had been on a different floor from the ill fated scientist's hotel room. "Did somethin' like that happen?"

"Yeah. But only on the floor the ballroom was on." Conan told him, nodding his head. The young man seemed to be genuinely surprised by this information- if that was acting, then he was pretty good at it. If he hadn't been aware of the blackout, he probably had been on a different floor at the time of the murder- which meant it would have been impossible for him to have done it. Still, he couldn't shake the strange feeling that there was something this young man was keeping from him- but he didn't know what that could be, or if it was even related to the case at hand. "You didn't notice, mister?"

"No." Paikaru said, shaking his head. Since it was something that had happened in such a crowded place, he had been certain it would been a poisoning. But if they had created a blackout, then any number of things would have been possible, provided that they had a way of telling where the victim was. "I was on a different floor from the ballroom. I don't really care fer bein' in big parties like that by myself, so I was just kinda of wanderin' around ta kill time until my friend came back."

"But yer pretty curious, aren't ya, kid?" He couldn't help but ask, not missing the vague way something deep inside Conan almost seemed to twitch at the word _kid_. That was kind of amusing in it's own right.

At the very least, he seemed to be avoiding falling under suspicion for the moment, just as he wanted. Once he got a chance to, he would find a way to slip out of the hotel and rejoin Vermouth- it would be bad if he were still here when the police arrived, and the number of people who could potentially recognize him increased.

"Uncle Kogoro asked me to go around and ask the party guests on the lobby level some questions!" Conan quickly chirped.

"Uncle Kogoro?" Slightly tilting his head, Paikaru slipped an expression of confusion on his face, acting as if he didn't instantly understand what Conan had meant. After a few moments, he acted as if it was dawning on him. "Ah, ya don't mean that one guy, do ya? That _Slumberin' Detective_ , or whatever he's called?"

"Yeah, the Sleeping Kogoro!" Conan said, nodding his head. Well, whatever the case, this guy probably wasn't related to _this_ case. There were some things that still bothered him, but with the blockade in place, he probably wouldn't be going anywhere for awhile yet. The murder case at hand took priority- especially since the culprit had done something like murder someone that Ran admired. He _definitely_ couldn't forgive that. "You didn't see anyone suspicious wandering around when you were looking around, did you?"

"Anyone suspicious?" Placing a hand to his chin, Paikaru mulled it over for a moment, for once being sincere about the matter. At the very least, Kudo probably wouldn't need him to solve this case- although it was seven shades of frustrating to be so close to him, and not be able to actually help him out. He'd offer his help more properly, if it didn't carry the risk of him being recognized. Still, the fact that they had been talking to each other for this long without him realizing who he was, was a good sign. "No, I don't think so."

"I see..." Making a slightly disappointed face, Conan nevertheless quickly perked up again. "Then, I'll let you get back to your phone call, mister! You should probably tell your friend that you won't be able to meet her for a little while yet."

"Well, I'm just sorry I couldn't help ya any." And there was sincerity again in his apology- for reasons that Conan wasn't liable to understand. If anything, he had only created _another_ problem for him this evening. "An' I'll do that. Does that detective uncle of yers want all the party guests ta go back ta the ballroom, or anythin' like that?"

"Yeah, that would help." Conan told him, nodding his head. He didn't really seem like such a bad guy- bothersome feeling aside. It was always refreshing to find adults that took what children had to say somewhat seriously. "Then, I'll see you later, mister!"

"Yeah, later!" With a slight wave of his hand, fighting the urge to flash one of his more characteristic smiles towards him, Paikaru watched as Conan darted off towards the hotel doors, where he could already make out several of the guests he knew had been at the party amassing at, irritated that they couldn't leave. Among their number, there was one that was no doubt the culprit. Watching as the not child came up to the side of one of them, having zeroed in on them from the start, he couldn't help but let out a small half smile. He was doing what he did best tonight.

It was kind of interesting, in a way, to watch his friend from a different perspective. But unfortunately, he couldn't stay. He had managed to stay off the suspect list for now- but as soon as inconsistencies were shown between what he had told him, and what actually happened, he knew that there would be trouble. Putting his phone up by his ear once more, Paikaru's gaze lingered on Conan for only a moment longer, before he stepped back into the waiting elevator.

"Sorry about that. I guess ya pretty much heard that conversation, so I won't bother goin' over any of it again." Paikaru told her, his eyes narrowing as the doors closed behind him. Pressing the button for the second floor, he once again went over the hotel's blueprints in his head, creating an alternative escape route. The fact that he wouldn't be in the ballroom when Conan came back up there would doubtlessly raise alarm bells in his head, but at the very least, the voice and face that he would likely come to associate with Paikaru weren't those of his own.

In a way, that was to his advantage.

"No, I heard everything. You did rather well, Paikaru." Vermouth couldn't help but observe, a note of amusement laced into her words. "I'm impressed that you managed to fool him."

"He thinks of me as a bad liar. It's not really that hard when yer startin' from that." Paikaru said simply, stepping out of the elevator again as it came to the next floor. There was also the fact that he trusted Hattori Heiji implicitly. Conan had made no moves towards him, obvious or otherwise, so he was quite certain that he hadn't picked up any of those transmitters that he carried with him. He was free to talk as he pleased. "Anyways, I'm comin' ta where ya are. Chances are, the police are gonna find that body a lot sooner than either of us planned."

"Well, not even I could predict that someone else would be murdered tonight." Paikaru said lightly. Sure, he and Kudo had a tendency to run into corpses wherever they went- but he had been hoping that the fact that he was going to be creating one tonight himself might outweigh any random murders. "I suppose it can't be helped. Ya should probably inform the higher ups that there were unpredictable complications this time around."

"I will." Vermouth said simply, lightly tapping the steering wheel as she waited. "Sounds like things are going to get rather busy for you in the near future though, Paikaru."

"Don't say that like yer not the one tryin' ta work me ta death, Vermouth. Or that ya won't _enjoy_ it." Paikaru couldn't help but grumble, brows furrowing together. "Anyways, I'm hangin' up. I should be where ya are in a few minutes."

Doing just that, Paikaru let out a long, drawn out sigh. If Kudo realized that the woman who had been with him at the time had been Vermouth, then there was a chance that he might be able to realize that this face he now wore was nothing more than a disguise. Still, as long as he didn't realize the truth behind his voice, he still had something of an upper hand in this situation.

It would be fine. He would _make_ it fine.

* * *

From the moment he had realized that the young man that he had spoken with wasn't among the guests gathered in the ballroom, Conan had a sneaking suspicion that something was wrong. That crawling feeling of dread slowly surfaced again inside of him, whispering to him that everything that he feared was true, that there was a chance that he had allowed one of _them_ to slip by him without so much as a protest. When a few inquires once the case was solved lead him to another corpse, that of one of that man's companions, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that _they_ had been there. The scene was too perfect to be the work of anyone else.

No wonder he didn't know about the blackout- he had been on another floor, murdering the man that he had been speaking with at the party. A scientist from South Korea, from the sound of it, who worked in the field of genetics. He would follow that thread as far as it could take him- but for now, he had something else to focus on.

The identity of the young man that he had spoken with.

 _"No. It's to his advantage that not many members know his face, given his main role. I only know that he speaks with a Kansai dialect."_

That was him. It _had_ to be him. Now that he was properly listening to them, all of his instincts practically screamed that much- especially now, with the discovery of the corpse. That made it the _second_ time that he had run into the one known as Paikaru in the span of a month. If that corpse found in the burned out storage shed was also his work, then chances were, he really was working out of the Tokyo area at the moment.

And he had just shown his face to him. The Organization had briefly taken an interest in Kogoro before, and he had so freely used his name around him- already he could feel his heart pounding in his chest, wondering if everything was going to be alright. Had he been at this party because of him? Because of Kogoro? He didn't know, and not knowing filled him with the kind of fear that he didn't get from anything else. What if something happened because of him?

No, he had to calm down. Their exchange had happened because of pure coincidence. In all likelihood, Paikaru had been here, at this hotel, because of this man. He had nothing to do with it, nor did Kogoro. Besides, if what Ai had told him was true, and the Organization member that he was most connected to was Vermouth, then it stood to reason that she might have an interest in keeping him _away_ from them. He really didn't understand that woman, but one thing at least was clear about her- that for whatever reason, she valued Ran rather highly. She probably wouldn't act in a way that she knew might put her in danger.

Come to think of it, if he was working with Vermouth, then perhaps that was the reason that he hadn't shot at them back then. It was possible that he had been given orders to avoid directly harming him- so if he had any idea he was with Jodie at the time, it might have caused him to hesitate to fire. If he really was as loyal to that woman as Ai seemed to think he was, then he probably wouldn't question those orders.

Still, why had he let him out of his sight? Even though he knew the answer was that he had been preoccupied by the case at hand at the time, he couldn't help but swear underneath his breath once the reality of the situation sunk into him. He had one of their number right in front of him, and he had just let him get away!

For the second time.

He should have trusted his instincts more- if it was just a matter of changing the height, one could do that with secret boots. They had even done that much recently themselves, in order to disguise his mother as his father, to help throw Amuro off of Shuichi's scent. If that woman that he had been with was Vermouth, then he had to assume that his face probably wasn't his own either. All he had to go on was his voice- and even about that, there was something that was niggling at him.

He had come to this party in an attempt to take a break from this sort of thing, to allow himself a chance to gather his thoughts together again- but he had only ended up becoming more frustrated. He had no way to prove it, and bringing it up carelessly around the police could put them in danger. As he watched both the police and the awakened Kogoro determine that the scene was _clearly_ that of a suicide, even as Conan noticed that there were pieces of security footage missing from the recordings, he once again felt a deep frustration and an equal amount of disappointment in himself begin to brew.

And still, too, that vague feeling, that strange impression he had gotten from speaking with the young man didn't go away. In the back of his mind, there was something faintly brewing- too faint to make out just yet. He didn't have enough information to draw any conclusions about his identity. All he knew about him was his voice, as well as his general body type- even his skin tone might have been altered by makeup.

Even though part of him was already whispering that there was no need to go that far.

It was that thought, that for some reason, he found himself reaching for his phone with a slightly trembling hand. Once he had it in hand, he realized that he didn't fully understand what it was that he wanted to actually _do_ with it- he had just pulled it out by instinct. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, he closed his eyes- above all else, he needed to be thinking straight right now.

That's right. Jodie. He wanted to contact Jodie. That was probably the reason he had gone for his phone. Using the FBI, he could gather more information on the murder victim than he would be able to do on his own. Besides, they needed to know that Vermouth- and likely Paikaru- had been spotted here, and recently.

Taking in and letting out another deep breath, Conan steadied himself to make the call. Paikaru had slipped away from him twice now, but he wasn't about to let it happen for a third time.

Still, for someone who had been described to him as the Organization's loyal dog, his personality wasn't at all what he had expected. That too, was something that bothered him- but he couldn't put his finger on the reason _why_.

There was nothing he hated more in this world than not knowing.

* * *

Finally being able to peel off the mask- both metaphorical and _literal_ \- that he felt like he had been wearing for far too long, Heiji let out a long breath. Dealing with any communications with anyone high ranking in the Organization was Vermouth's job, and as such, they had parted ways for the time being. He didn't have any way to contact any of them anyways- although he knew full well they had _plenty_ of ways to contact him.

He never really cared for that much.

Speaking of people contacting him though- that was definitely his usual cellphone. With a slight frown, Heiji pulled it out from the drawer he had put it in when they had left the hotel, wondering who it could be. He didn't want to risk bringing it with him to the party, on the off chance that he might forget about the voice changer around his neck. Speaking of which, he carefully reached up a hand around his neck, unclasping it, before tossing it aside on the bed, only then answering the phone.

"Geez, it took ya long enough, Heiji!" Kazuha's voice came through on the other end of the phone loud and clear, before he even so much as had a chance to say anything. "I've been tryin' ta call ya all evening!"

"Ah sorry, sorry. I had my phone turned off." Heiji quickly said, a smile flashing across his face. It was a bit strange to hear the sound of his own voice after using a different one for several hours. "What's up, Kazuha? Did somethin' happen back at home?"

Speaking of voices, it was a bit nice to hear hers. Even though it certainly didn't help with the sense of guilt that was starting to set in now, it still had a refreshing quality to it that helped him feel more like, well, _himself_. The usual Hattori Heiji, who bickered constantly with the childhood friend that was more important to him than she would probably ever realize.

"Ran-chan called me earlier, soundin' all upset." Kazuha told him. "One of her favorite drama actress was murdered, or somethin' like that. Her father solved the case, so that's fine, but she sounds pretty down. I was thinkin' that you an' I could head ta Tokyo next weekend ta check up on her an' make sure she's okay. You'll be back from the case yer workin' on now before then, right?"

It must have been the actress that had been murdered at that party, Heiji realized, a slight frown crossing his face. So that detective agency Neechan was a fan of her- well, it was no wonder that she would be depressed about it then. If she had been in the area when the murder had happened, then there was all the more reason for that sort of feeling.

"Ah, yeah, I should be back before then." Heiji said, nodding his head. The 'case' was pretty much finished up anyways. He would probably be able to head home as early as tomorrow evening. "There's no case so hard that it'd take me more than a week ta solve anyways! What do ya take me fer anyways, Kazuha?"

"What a thing ta say, since it's happened before!" Kazuha responded, and he could almost _see_ the slightly mocking grin on her face. He half wanted to retort that those hadn't been cases he had been working on at all- but well, it was better not to say something like that. "Although I suppose I should be grateful that yer not takin' half as long as Kudo-kun is. I wonder what that guy's up ta anyways, leavin' Ran-chan behind fer so long like that?"

"Well, I'm sure Kudo's got his own things ta worry about." Heiji said simply, taking a seat on the bed, letting out a slight laugh. He kind of wanted to be there when Kazuha eventually learned the truth about 'Conan-kun'. It would probably be pretty amusing.

Although, by that time, he might not be friends with any of them anymore.

"Anyways, this weekend ya said? I guess I can manage that, fer Neechan's sake." Heiji noted. It was a bit sooner then he wanted to turn back up in Tokyo, but it would be even stranger if he tried to argue against it. Besides, he couldn't say that he wasn't concerned for Ran as well- even if she ran into this sort of thing with alarming regularity, it probably wasn't that easy of a blow to swallow when the person being murdered was someone you apparently admired. "She's pretty tough though, that Neechan, so I wouldn't worry about her too much."

"Well, she apparently _did_ get to punch the culprit once, so I can only hope that took off some of the edge." Kazuha reported to him, and Heiji couldn't help but let out a low whistle. That was probably quite the sight- he was almost sorry that he missed it. "Rather, Neechan, _Neechan_ , it's always _Neechan_ with ya. When are ya gonna start callin' Ran-chan by her own name, Heiji?"

"It's just become somethin' of a habit now." Heiji admitted, scratching his cheek. Perhaps there was a part of him that wanted to keep her at a slight distance from him. He was a part of those same men in black who had caused so much of her current grief, after all- even if she didn't know, and even if he hadn't been the one to poison Kudo in the first place. "What's the harm? I don't think it bothers her any."

"Ran-chan is probably just too nice ta say otherwise." Kazuha said, letting out a long sigh. "By the way, Heiji, where are ya anyways? Ya just left a note sayin' that you were goin' out ta solve a case, an' probably wouldn't be home tonight. Given what's happenin' here right now, yer folks are a bit worried about ya. Ya haven't gotten involved with that whole turf war mess, have ya? Ya shouldn't do that sort of thing."

"Ah, sorry, sorry. I was just in a bit of a rush." Heiji admitted after a moment, unable to help but mentally note that he wasn't just simply _involved_ with that matter- but rather, he had been the one to _start_ it. Given that the party might have run late into the evening, he didn't want to return home in the middle of the night, and had ended up renting a hotel room in Tokyo for the night instead. Not underneath his own name, of course. "I'm in Nagoya, _Nagoya_. I'm workin' on a case here. Well, I've pretty much already completely solved it, though."

Mentally, he couldn't but apologize to Kazuha for telling her yet another lie. Where had he gotten a reputation for being honest from anyways? That couldn't be any further from the truth. His entire life these days was built on nothing more than a razor thin string of lies, just waiting to be snapped.

"Is that so? I'll tell Auntie then." Kazuha said. "Anyways, come home soon, Heiji. Ya know I worry about ya when yer off workin' on a case on yer own."

It was a shame that she wouldn't be able to see the soft smile that spread across his face at her words, even if he couldn't help but think that he didn't deserve such worries. "Sorry, Kazuha. I'll bring ya along on my next case, okay? Although given that _weird_ reputation I seem ta be gettin' these days, it might involve another monster."

"Don't say somethin' like that, _idiot_!" Kazuha protested, puffing out her cheeks. "An' I'm comin' along even if it _does_ involve a monster. It's not like any of the ones that we've dealt with in the past have actually turned out ta be real, or anythin' like that."

"Well, that's true." Heiji admitted. "The only real monsters are the murderers. An' those ya can usually take out with a good blow ta the head, in a pinch!"

What a thing for him to say, as if he wasn't one of those monsters himself. The kind of run of the mill culprit that he usually dealt with paled in comparison to the detective that was exposing their crimes. It was almost hilarious, in a way.

"That's true." Kazuha said. "Anyways, let's go see Ran-chan next Sunday, Heiji! I won't let ya forget. An' no ditchin' us either ta go hang out with Conan-kun all day like ya did the other time!"

With a slight laugh, Heiji felt a smile cross his face, even as he couldn't help but hate himself for being able to act like this not that long after he had just killed someone. He might not be half as numb to it as he was in the past, but the fact that he could go back to normal right away after doing something like that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wasn't anything like a good person. "I got it, I got it. Then, I'll talk ta ya later, Kazuha. I have ta get back ta this case. I'll probably get back home before dinner tomorrow, so tell mom ta leave some out for me."

"Yeah, I will! I'll talk ta ya tomorrow, Heiji!" With a click, the other end of the line went dead. Holding the phone in his hands for a few moments longer, he paused to check the call log, scrolling through the many missed calls that Kazuha had made to him. Just as she had said, there were one or two from his mother as well.

There were none from Kudo. He couldn't help but find that strangely comforting.

* * *

"Are you certain that the young man you saw was Paikaru?"

"I'm almost one hundred percent sure." If there was one thing that he liked about Jodie, it was that it wasn't doubt lacing her voice right now- but rather, a desire to make sure she understood everything he was telling her. She had promised to meet with him right away the follow morning in regards to the matter, without a second of hesitation. "The body type was the type was the same, and he spoke with an Osakan accent. The only thing that was different from the last time we saw him was his height, but that could have been easily faked."

"That's true." Jodie mused, resting a hand on her chin in thought. They had managed to obtain the security recordings from that night without too many problems. And while the footage had been edited to hide the fact that they had left the party with the murdered scientist, they still showed up in other places. "It's this one right here?"

Tapping the screen to indicate who she meant, Jodie narrowed her eyes as Conan nodded his head, giving the young man captured in the footage a studious look. The quality of the footage wasn't the best, so she wasn't able to make out most of his features. But according to what Conan had told her- that the odds were high that the woman that he was with was Vermouth, that might not even be his real face anyways.

"You spoke to him, didn't you?" Jodie asked, standing back up straight, folding her arms in front of her chest. "What kind of impression did you get from him?"

"Impression?" Mulling over her words for a moment, Conan thought back to his conversation with the one who was likely Paikaru. "Although he was a bit annoyed at first because I interrupted his phone call, after that, he almost seemed somewhat _amicable_ , really." He recalled. "He certainly didn't act like someone who had just murdered a person."

"That's a pro for you." Jodie observed, narrowing her eyes. "Given the fact that he works with Vermouth, according to what you told me before, do you think there was a chance that he recognized you?"

"I don't know." Conan admitted, shaking his head. That too, was something that frustrated him. "He might have, but just didn't react. Considering that she hasn't told any other members about my existence, it's possible that she hasn't mentioned it to him either. At the very least, he didn't make any suspicious moves towards me, although that might just be because we were in a public place."

"That's certainly true." With a deep frown, Jodie leaned her head back for a moment, dwelling on her own thoughts. "Was there anything else you noticed about him, Conan-kun? At this point in the investigation, anything might help."

"Anything else I noticed about him..." Putting a hand to his chin in thought, Conan's brows furrowed together. He still couldn't shake that strange niggling feeling in the back of his mind, that strange sense of unease that had appeared from the moment that he had spoken to him. No, thinking back on it, it might have actually first taken root when he had seen his back.

Still, no matter how hard he puzzled over it, he couldn't figure out what it was. Had he seen him somewhere before? His face wasn't ringing any bells, neither was his voice.

"No, there was nothing else." Conan said after a moment, shaking his head. A vague, insubstantial feeling wouldn't be of much use to the FBI. If it developed into something else, he would come to speak with her again. "As for the man that was murdered, have you been able to pull up data on what he was working on?"

"No, not yet. But it's probably only a matter of time." Jodie told him. "I'll contact you once we know anything more about him. Still, for the Organization to be recruiting a genetics researcher... I can't help but wonder what it is that they're planning. Would that girl know something? You said before that one of her relative was involved with their research."

"I can ask her, but I don't know how much she would know." Conan told her. That was one of the areas where he couldn't shake the impression that Ai definitely knew more than she was letting on- and while he had been able to get what information she knew about Rum and Paikaru from her just by asking, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to get anything this time.

Still, he could at least give it a try.

"Please do." Jodie told him. "Speaking of people with Osakan accents, though, that young man from the other day, Hattori-kun- how much does he know about the Organization?"

He kind of had a feeling that this question was coming one day. Still, it bothered him to hear Heiji referred to in the same breath as that guy- even if he had more or less done the same thing himself earlier.

"Heiji-niichan?" Conan asked. "I don't know. It was Shinichi-niichan who asked him to show up at that party in his place. If he knows anything, I don't think it's much. Probably just enough to know that they exist, and to be careful of them. Why do you ask?"

"It was just on my mind." Jodie told him, giving him a small smile. "That's all. Is there anything else though, Conan-kun?"

"No, not right now." Conan said, shaking his head. "Have you contacted Akai-san about this yet?"

"No, not yet. I wanted to discuss all of the details with you first. James might have mentioned something to him though." Jodie said.

"Then, I'll speak with him myself, since I'm going over there to speak with Haibara anyways." Conan told her. "Be sure to call me if you find anything out, Jodie-sensei!"

With a promise that she would, Conan made his way back out of the hotel. Although he had been able to put a bit of distance between himself and last night's events with a bit of rest, they still bothered him. Scratching his head in frustration as he once again let his thoughts dwell on the chance that he had missed, he stopped mid step, turning back to look towards the hotel. He had more or less been able to determine the escape route that Paikaru had probably taken- but of course, he hadn't left any evidence behind.

This probably wouldn't bother him half as much as it did if it weren't for that vague sense of unease that he was feeling. It was a rather ominous feeling- as if some part of him was trying to warn him that this wasn't something that he should chase too deeply. That he couldn't understand- even when it came to someone as high up in rank as Rum, he never got that feeling.

So why? Why was this bothering him so much?

He couldn't help but feel if he knew the reason why, he would be able to relax a little. There was nothing a detective hated more than not knowing.

Or so he thought.


	11. One Confides, the Other Hides

**AN** : It's my birthday today, but you're the ones getting the present, with this, the next chapter of _Black Echo_! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, and perhaps considers leaving a review, in honor of this, the most joyous of days. I'm one step closer to being an Official Fandom Grandma.

Until next time!

* * *

 **Black Echo**

 **Chapter Eleven**

 **One Confides, the Other Hides**

* * *

"What's up with ya, Kudo? Ya don't look the least bit happy ta see me."

"Ah, it's not that, Hattori." Quickly flashing his friend something of an apologetic smile, Conan quickly spared a glance up ahead of him. Taking note of the fact that both Ran and Kazuha were currently deep in the middle of a bit of girl talk, he let a small sigh escape from him, glancing back up towards Heiji. It wasn't hard to make out the somewhat disappointed tone his voice carried- and here he thought he had been hiding the fact that he was trouble over something well.

It wasn't Heiji's fault, really. Thankfully, the same wasn't true for Kazuha, at the very least, but whenever he heard that Osakan accent of his, the first thing that he thought of was the one that he had met at that hotel- the Black Organization member, Paikaru. It was frustrating really- he didn't want his close friend, of all people, to remind him of such a person, and he felt terrible about it, even if he wasn't doing it on purpose. He didn't realize how big of an impact that allowing him to slip through his fingers for a second time would have on his psyche- until now, at least.

Still, he was grateful that the two of them had come over. Ran was still rather down after the events that had taken place at that party. If it was going to be like that, he couldn't help but think that it almost would have been better if they had never gone. If they hadn't, she wouldn't be feeling this way now. Even if she read about it in the paper later, that was an entirely different experience compared to having the person in question die in front of your eyes.

But if they had never gone, he never would have obtained any leads on the Organization. Even if he had let Paikaru and Vermouth alike slip through his fingers, at the very least, they had the name of the man that they had been with. Jodie had promised to look into his background very thoroughly, so perhaps, at the very least, they might be able to find something there.

"Then, what is it? Yer obviously bothered by _somethin_ ', so don't try an' act like that's not the case, Kudo." With a slight frown on his features, Heiji tilted his head. When that troubled expression had first crossed Conan's face, the first time that he had opened up his mouth to give him a greeting, he had felt his heart clench in his chest. What if he had realized it? What if he already knew?

Thankfully, it didn't seem as if that was the case. If that were true, there was no way that he would leisurely be hanging around him right now- and there was even less of a chance that he would allow Ran to spend any time with him. He would have to work harder than ever to make sure it stayed that way- he couldn't protect him if he wasn't by his side, and even if he came to understand that he wasn't going to betray them to the Organization, he knew that when- _if_ \- he found out, it would be the end of their friendship.

He wasn't sure what he would become to him after that. Perhaps simply nothing more than an informant, someone to provide him with what information that he could. Not an ally, probably, and not a trusted one, as he was now. Just someone that he used, someone that he harbored nothing towards but ill will.

"It's..." Opening up his mouth to deny it, Conan quickly shut it again, turning his gaze away from him. With the glint of his glasses concealing his troubled expression, he furrowed his brow, his brief meeting with Paikaru once more playing in his mind. That haunting, uncertain feeling that it had given him had never gone away, even though a week had passed since then- and he was no close to figuring out the reason for it.

It was frustrating.

"It's what?" Heiji asked again, a tight frown crossing his face. It wasn't as if he didn't already know what was bothering him- he was the source of his current troubles, after all. He hated seeing him like this, letting the fact that he had allowed an Organization member to slip through his fingers yet again eat away at him. All kinds of things were probably going through his mind right now, scenario after scenario playing out inside of it- good ones and bad ones. Really, it was a miracle that he could even manage to keep up the act that nothing was wrong around Ran.

The fact that he let it slip around him was a testament to how much he trusted him. It was touching- enough so that it felt as if it was strangling him.

"It's..." Beginning again, Conan let out a long sigh, finally looking back up towards his friend. Heiji had told him that he could confide in him when he needed to, and even though he knew that his friend would hear him out, he almost didn't want to tell him. Of course, the fact that he didn't want to get him any further involved with the Organization was the number one reason, but beyond that, there was...

There was _what_ , really? Lately it felt like he was full of feelings that he couldn't understand the source nor the reason of. It wasn't a sensation that he liked.

"Did you read about the murder in the newspaper?" Conan finally asked, deciding to approach it from that angle.

"Yeah, I did. Ya sure did a great job of solvin' it, as always!" Heiji told him, a bright smile flashing across his face- one that didn't last as long as his usual ones. "But I get the feelin' that's not what's troublin' ya, Kudo. Ya wanna talk ta me about it? I might not be the best person in the world ta discuss feelings with, but I'm better than nothin', right?"

He was on the verge of telling him something, and something important. He knew Kudo well enough to know that much. And as much as it twisted his gut, his main goal wasn't to become someone that he could confide in, to take some of the troubles off of his chest, though certainly, that was a part of it. Rather than any of that, however, his main goal was nothing so touching, nothing so emotional- it was the need to gather information.

He needed to know how much he already knew about Paikaru. How much that scientist girl had told him, how much he might have gathered from other sources. Anything that he might have gleaned from their brief encounter. If he was going to keep concealing this side of him from him, then he needed to know all of these things and more. Even though this wasn't a war that he could win, at the very least, he wanted to hold out until the final battle. And for that, he needed information.

"Yeah." Narrowing his eyes, Conan felt his fists clench by his side, his frustrations threatening to take hold of him for a moment- before he fought them back, regaining control of his own feelings. "If you read about it, you must have read about the suicide that happened at that same hotel, around the same time, right?"

"Yeah, I did." With a nod of his head, Heiji folded his arms in front of his chest. He didn't know if was because of that old hag's coaching, or because of some kind of innate talent that frankly, he didn't even want, but it felt a lot like he had gotten an awful lot better at acting these days. "If I recall, some scientist from South Korea killed himself in that hotel. I think the newspaper said somethin' about him drinkin' poison, or somethin' like that."

"Wait." Stopping in his tracks, crouching down so that he could face him on eye level, Heiji narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me that ya think that it wasn't a suicide? If that's the case, why didn't ya tell the police about it while you were there? That's not like ya, Kudo."

"What's the one reason why I _wouldn't_ , Hattori?" Conan asked him frankly, turning on his heel so that he could meet his gaze. Out of the corner of his eye, he took notice of the fact that Ran had realized that they weren't walking behind them any longer- so they probably only had a small time frame in which to discuss this matter.

"Oi, don't tell me-!" Cutting himself short, Heiji let his eyes grow wide, before he almost fretfully glanced around them, dropping his voice even further. "Ya think it was because of _them_?"

"Yeah, that's it exactly." Conan told him. "And what's more, the Organization member most likely behind it spoke _Kansai-ben_. It would appear that there's a matter in which I might need your assistance after all, Hattori. Well, although it's probably something we'll have to discuss later, when those two aren't around."

"What are you doing, Conan-kun?" Breaking up any further conversation that the two of them might have had, Ran quickly hurried back to rejoin them, almost as if on cue. Taking note of their serious expressions, she glanced between the two of them, a slight frown crossing her face. "Did something happen?"

"Ah, no!" Quickly standing straight up, Heiji let out an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "This kid was just tryin' ta ask me fer some advice about somethin'! Ya know, even at this age, kids have things that they feel too embarrassed ta tell girls about, right?"

"Well, if it's somethin' about girls, yer better off not takin' advice from _Heiji_." Kazuha dryly remarked, shooting something of a sour look towards her childhood friend, who sent one right back towards. Heaving a slight sigh, she folded her arms in front of her chest, giving Conan a bright smile. "Ya don't have ta be embarrassed ta tell us things, Conan-kun. Why don't ya tell us all about what's worryin' ya over lunch, an' the two of us will help ya out!"

"Ah, that's okay, Kazuha-neechan!" Quickly shaking his head, shooting Heiji a dirty look of his own, annoyed that was the first thing he could come up with, Conan very quickly replaced said look with a childish smile. "It's not that important! More importantly, can we hurry up and get to the restaurant? I'm starting to get really hungry!"

"Yes, yes." With a nod of her head, Ran reached out her hand, offering it to Conan. Smiling a little at the way his cheeks reddened a bit when he took it, she glanced up towards Heiji. "But is it really alright, Hattori-kun? Since you and Kazuha-chan are the guests here, _we_ really should be the ones paying for the meal, not the other way around."

"Yeah, don't worry about it, Neechan!" With a quick nod of his head, Heiji flashed her a reassuring grin. "It's the least I could do."

* * *

"Hold a second, Kudo-kun." Grabbing Conan rather abruptly by the shoulder, Ai all but dragged him over towards her, sharply narrowing her eyes. "I thought you said that you weren't going to get Hattori-kun involved in this."

"That was the plan, but..." Trailing off a little, Conan shrugged her hand off of his shoulder, giving it a light rub. She could have quite the grip when she wanted to- hopefully his shoulder wouldn't bruise. It wasn't that he didn't understand her reasons, but at the end of the day, whether or not to involve Heiji was his decision to make.

Besides, all the was telling him to do was just to keep his eyes and ears open for anyone that he thought might be Paikaru. Sure, there was Heiji's hotblooded personality to worry about, but he was sure that if he impressed the dangers upon him of what might happen if he were caught, even _he_ wouldn't take any rash actions. He could certainly be reckless and impulsive, but he wasn't an idiot.

"If Paikaru really _is_ from the Kansai region, then having the assistance of someone who actually leaves there is probably a good idea." Conan told her, keeping his voice down. For the moment, Heiji seemed to be having a discussion with the Professor- perhaps bringing him to his place wasn't the best of ideas, given that Ai was around, but it wasn't like he could think of many other places where they could speak of matters in regards to the Organization in private. "It's not like I came to this decision _lightly_ , Haibara. I would rather not involve Hattori either, given the choice."

" _Still_ -"

"What's wrong?" Hovering over the two of them, a curious expression on his face, Heiji glanced down towards the two shrunken teens. "Ya sure have a serious look on yer face, little Neechan. Is somethin' goin' on?"

"No, it's nothing." Recovering her composed expression, Ai took a step away from Conan, shooting him something of a warning look. She would rather not see anyone else be put in danger because of _them_ , but she supposed she had no other choice but to trust his instincts. "If you need me, Kudo-kun, I'll be down in the lab. I would recommend _not_ needing me."

Letting out a low whistle as he watched Ai head downstairs, Heiji merely quirked a brow. "She doesn't seem too happy. Ya say somethin' ta her ta piss her off? Ya really shouldn't do things like that, Kudo."

"Shut up. I don't want to hear that from _you_." Conan retorted, heaving a long sigh. He could understand why she was worried, but the fact of the matter was that they just didn't have anyone they could send out to investigate the Kansai region. If Jodie or Camel headed over there, it would definitely attract the Organization's attention. The only person who could move around there without too much suspicion was someone who already lived there- and Heiji was the only person who fit the bill.

Besides, if his theory was true, then who would be better to look into the matter than the son of Osaka's chief of police? If Paikaru really was connected to law enforcement or some other powerful office in some way, enough so that he could lower the guards of the people that he was hunting, then the person who would raise the least amount of suspicion by poking around in that area would again, be Heiji.

"What's that supposed ta mean?" Placing a hand against his chest, an expression of mild offense crossing his face. "I'll have ya know that I can be a pretty charmin' guy, Kudo!"

"Really? That's news to me." Conan couldn't help but retort, feeling something of an easy grin crossing his face. Really, he couldn't help but be grateful that Heiji had decided to pay them a visit- even if it had been Kazuha's idea, from the sound of it. There were times he could almost forget the current state of his body when he was around Heiji, able to act like himself in ways that he couldn't around other people.

"More importantly, Hattori, did you forget? We've still got _that matter_ to discuss." Taking a seat on the Professor's couch, a rather serious expression crossed his face. "Honestly, I was debating telling you about this at all, so don't do anything that would make me regret it."

"I won't, I won't." Quick to reassure him, Heiji took a seat across from Conan. Well, he undoubtedly _would_ , but not in ways that he would ever expect- but he didn't need to know something like that. "So? What's this about an Organization member speakin' _Kansai-ben_? I get the feelin' ya don't mean that giant that ya mentioned ta me once before."

"Considering that he's been dead for a number of months, of course not." Conan replied, shaking his head. "I recently was able to obtain some information about a new Organization member. Probably, he's the one who was behind that strange case we ended up looking into with Uncle from a few weeks back. You remember, right? That arson murder case?"

"Ah, yeah. The one that the police closed as suicide. Considerin' that's when ya started actin' kinda weird, it's hard ta forget." Nodding his head, Heiji frowned a little. "Did ya ever figure out who that guy was, anyways?"

"No, not a clue." Shaking his head, Conan gave him something of a rueful smile. "Before I tell you anything else, I want you to promise me one thing, Hattori. Don't underestimate your opponent, and don't overestimate yourself. If something happens to you because of what I'm about to tell you..."

Holding up a hand, quickly cutting him off, Heiji flashed him a quick grin. He didn't want to hear him finish that sentence, didn't want to have it driven home once again just how deeply he cared about him. There was only so much of that he could bear. "Ya don't need ta worry about somethin' like that, Kudo. I might not know much about these guys, but I know enough about them ta know just how dangerous they can be. Believe me, I don't want anyone around me ta get caught up in that either, so ya don't have ta worry about me runnin' off an' doin' somethin' reckless."

"Well, although given my personality, I can't exactly _blame_ ya fer bein' worried." Scratching his cheek, Heiji let out a small laugh, all while burying his true feelings deep down inside of them, locking them away in a place that not even Kudo would be even to find them. "Still, I'm glad that ya decided ta trust me with this again, Kudo. I can understand that ya want ta keep me an' Kazuha safe, but I don't like not bein' able ta help ya any with this."

Even though he wouldn't actually be helping him with Paikaru at all. The exact opposite, really.

But at this point, there was no way that he could ever say it. Not after they had met face to face, as detective and Organization member. He couldn't take back what had already happened.

"You _do_ tend to be rather hotblooded, after all." Conan couldn't help but quip, before smiling a little. It was strange- for all that he had been worrying about not involving Heiji, some part of him actually felt a bit lighter now. It was as if he had gotten a weight off of his chest, one that he hadn't fully been aware that he had been carrying until he let it go. "Besides, I can't come rescue you if you're all the way in Osaka."

"Do I _look_ like some kinda distressed damsel to ya?" The joke rolled so naturally off of his lips, that he nearly made himself sick. "I know I might not have any of yer flashy gadgets, but at the very least, I don't come up ta people's _knees_."

"A fair point." As much as he wanted to argue that point, he couldn't really deny that Heiji had one- although he could have put it differently. Still, now wasn't the time to argue about semantics. "But thanks, Hattori. I have a suspicion that they might have some kind of connection to the police, so I really need someone who has connections with them in the Kansai region to look into things."

"Ta the police?" Heiji blinked, a slight frown crossing his face. Well, he definitely wasn't wrong there. Still, the fact that he had already drawn that conclusion was enough to make his blood run cold- it was hitting far too close to home. At the very least, from the sound of it, it almost seemed as if he was assuming that they were a member of the police force, which at the very least, indicated that he suspected that Paikaru was older.

Well, that made sense. Normally nobody would assume that a high school student was deeply involved with such an Organization. Even for someone as paranoid as Kudo, it probably wouldn't be the first thing that he would think of.

"Well, it's only a suspicion of mine." Conan told him after a moment. "I don't know if it's actually true or not. At the very least, they have some kind of connection to some kind of authority, enough so that they can let people's guards down. According to Haibara, he's well known in the Organization for hunting down traitors. Not that she's ever seen him face to face, though."

"An'? Did she tell ya anythin' else about him?" Heiji asked. Well, that much he already knew- if she had really seen his face in the past, there was no way that he would be leisurely lounging in her home right now. He didn't have many chances to interact with the research and development side of the Organization, unless it involved helping to erase one of their number. No doubt that was on purpose- as much as the Organization used him freely to deal with those that needed to disappear, they always kept him at an arm's length from anything critically important.

He didn't know if it was just because they didn't fully trust him yet, or if it were because of his age. Perhaps it was because of his parents- his biological ones, the ones who had turned against the Organization just because of his existence. He knew the fact that his biological mother was still out there, alive and well, if not incarcerated, likely for life, made them nervous- even _they_ weren't able to get to her that easily.

Seventeen years had passed since then, making most of the information that she held largely out of date and therefore mostly useless. That, and the fact that she had held her tongue till the very end, were the only things that prevented them from extending their reach to deal with her anyways. He'd never met her himself, even though he knew where she was- and although he sometimes entertained the idea of giving Kudo a hint to her existence, he couldn't do that either, for rather obvious reasons.

If they ever met, it would probably be all over. Family resemblance was a scary thing.

"He's loyal to Vermouth." Conan told him frankly. "You remember, she's the one who sent Kudo Shinichi that invitation, and the one who stole the records from the police. The one we went to investigate Jodie-sensei on suspicion of being."

"How could I forget that?" Heiji asked, shrugging his shoulders. He never would, but perhaps not for the reasons that Kudo would have thought- if she hadn't covered for him then, things might have turned out quite a bit different. Still, even so, he would still make that choice again, given the chance. "That was quite the experience, gettin' all dressed up by yer mother. I'm pretty sure her skills could put that flashy thief ya chase around sometimes ta shame!"

"Can we focus on the topic at hand, Hattori?" Conan couldn't help but ask, quirking a brow. As his friend flashed him an apologetic smile, he continued. "I've already had two close encounters with the guy, but I don't know if Vermouth has told him anything about me or not. We met face to face at the party, but I'm doubtful that the face he was wearing that night was really his own."

"Though at the very least, I know his voice and body type." Conan added. "He looks to be around a young man, although for someone of Vermouth's skills, it's possible that she might be able to camouflage that. As for his height, he's probably around..."

There was a pause there, words left lingering unspoken in his throat. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't help but wonder how he had missed it for this long. After all, that person's height and body type were...

"What's wrong?" The sound of Heiji's voice, concern laced in it's tone, broke him out of his thoughts. "I can't exactly _look_ fer the guy if I don't have anythin' ta go off of, Kudo. I don't know if ya've noticed this, but _a lot_ of people in the Kansai region speak usin' _Kansai-ben_. Can't really narrow it down with that little information."

At the sarcastic tinge his words took on towards the end, Conan found himself letting out the breath that he had sucked in. Of course there was no way- if something like that were true, he would have realized it a lot sooner. He must have really been getting paranoid lately, if he had even considered _that_ as a serious possibility, for even just a second. If anything, he felt disgusted with himself for even _considering_ it, however briefly.

"Sorry, sorry. He's around your height, actually, Hattori." Conan finally told him. "Give or take a few inches. It's difficult to truly gauge people's heights when I'm this size."

" _Heh_ , pretty short fer an adult, isn't he?" Heiji couldn't help but observe, wondering how it was that he wasn't displaying the deep relief he felt on his face right now. "Well, that should probably make him stand out a little bit more. Or rather," a sly grin crossing his features, he couldn't help but let a joking twinkle enter his eyes- one that was almost very nearly genuine. "...I guess he _wouldn't_ , given, ya know."

Unable to help himself, a faint snort escaped from Conan. "Fair enough. I got some of the pictures taken from the security footage from Jodie-sensei. I'll pass them along to you when I get the chance."

"Oh thanks! That'll be a big help!" Flashing him another wide grin, Heiji frowned, pausing to reach down to check his phone. "Ah, although I should probably be meetin' up with Kazuha again sometime soon. If we don't start headin' ta the station soon, we might miss our train home."

"Is it already that time?" Checking his own phone, Conan almost grimaced- Kazuha had been _very clear_ when they had parted ways at what time they would have to meet up again. The last thing he wanted to do was to upset her again. "The two of you could always stay over at the agency tonight, you know."

"We can't always be doin' that." Shaking his head, Heiji rose to his feet. "I'll keep what ya told me today in mind, Kudo, an' keep my eyes an' ears peeled fer anyone that might seem suspicious. But still... thanks fer trustin' me with this, I guess."

"Don't make me regret it, Hattori." Conan warned him, getting to his own feet. "Be careful. This guy is someone who is willing to kill a person just because they've seen his face. He's not someone you should deal with lightly."

"Yeah, I know. Since yer not there ta watch my back fer me, I'll be extra careful, Kudo." Nodding his head, Heiji reached over, ruffling his hair. Oh, he'd regret it alright- but not for that reason. There were any number of things that he had to worry about, but Paikaru killing him was not one of them. He didn't have any plans to commit suicide anytime soon, no matter how bad things got. He wasn't that type.

"Ya gotta promise me the same though." Pulling his hand away from him, Heiji rose back up, tucking his hands into his pockets. His own words once again making himself sick, he nevertheless hid such things behind the mask of a concerned friend, a trusted ally who was worried that he couldn't do half as much as he wanted to help him. "If he's really as dangerous as yer makin' him sound, be careful around him yerself. If somethin' were ta happen ta ya, I don't know how I would explain it ta Neechan."

Those last words, at the very least, were completely sincere.

"I will. We've already had this conversation before, don't you remember?" Even as he said that, Conan couldn't help but frown. For a moment, there was almost something strange about his friend- but whatever it was, it vanished almost as quickly as it had come, so ephemeral that he quickly found himself doubting that it had ever been there. "I'm the one who is going to take them down. I won't let it be the other way around."

"I guess not." Closing his eyes, Heiji felt a smile form on his lips- this one the real deal. He believed in those words, perhaps more than anyone. If there was anyone who could actually bring an end to the nightmare that had loomed over far too many, for far too long, it was Kudo. "Those guys'll never know what hit 'em."

Unfortunately, they wouldn't be the only ones.

* * *

"What do ya want?"

Perhaps he had some small form of luck after all- Kazuha had already fallen asleep next to him when his cellphone rang. Out like a light as she was, she didn't notice the soft vibrating sound coming from his jacket pocket, nor did she notice him get up to leave, pulling out a cellphone that was different from the one that he normally used.

"Come to the very back of the train, without drawing attention to yourself."

"Are ya stalkin' me now, Vermouth?" Narrowing his eyes, Heiji glanced back towards Kazuha, who was still fast asleep in her seat, where he had left her. The idea of them being in the same place as each other made him uncomfortable, and judging by her short tone, this wasn't a simple courtesy call. Heaving a long sigh, Heiji tore his gaze away from his childhood friend, turning it in direction he needed to go. "Alright. I'll be right there."

"Do hurry. He tends to get a bit impatient."

With that, the other end of the line went dead, leaving the dial tone to echo in Heiji's ears, before he too, hung up, tucking his work cellphone away. Sparing one last long look towards Kazuha, hoping that she wouldn't question his absence too much, or come looking for him should she wake up, he reached up, turning the brim of his cap forward, and tugging it down low over his eyes.

He didn't need anyone to tell him to whom Vermouth was referring to. He already knew.

If there was one person within the Organization that he hated dealing with, more than anyone else, it was _him_. And that had been _before_ he'd learned that he was the one behind Kudo's poisoning. If anything, that had just given him even _more_ of a reason to hate the one with the codename of Gin.

Drawing in and letting out a deep breath, he put aside the high school detective for the moment, a hard expression crossing his face, the kind that those who knew him would never be able to recognize was one of his own. Exchanging a brief glance with the tall, bulky man who lingered outside of the door to the last car, Paikaru headed inside, casting a cursory look at his surroundings. Aside from the two Organization members, it was completely empty- just as he thought, he really didn't have much freedom.

Even if the mistake hadn't been anything that had been in his power to prevent, even if it had been ruled as a suicide, just as they wanted, it was more than enough for them to tighten the leash they had around him again. It wasn't as if they were watching his every move, but they were very much keeping tabs on where he was, and who he was with. If it weren't for the fact that his relationship with the one that had become known as the Sleeping Kogoro was beneficial to them, they probably would have regarded his trip to see him as something suspicious.

And it was exactly _because_ of that fact, that he had been asked to go check up on things with the so-called great detective.

Of the many things that he didn't know how to tell Kudo, it was that while he had never been given an official order to keep tabs on _Edogawa Conan_ , not even from Vermouth, it was the fact that he _had_ been tasked with keeping tags on _Mouri Kogoro_. He had caught the Organization's interest more than once, and although he had escaped with his life the first time, ever since then, they had been keeping him under close observation.

His own.

"Does he know?" It was _that man_ who spoke first, not bothering with any kind of preamble. Not much in the way of social skills or basic tact, Paikaru thought to himself, taking the seat across from him, casting a slight glance over towards Vermouth. In the privacy of the bought out car, she had no need for the sunglasses or the hat that she had placed on the table, letting her hair down from the tight bun it had been fixed in, judging from the hair bands wrapped around one wrist.

"He doesn't." Paikaru told him simply, leaning back in his seat. "But I don't think that's the only reason ya would have called me out here like this, Gin. Ya like stalkin' high school students or somethin'?"

One of these days, he was going to get that old man to retort back- but today, obviously, was not that day. "That man had an assistant." Gin said simply, reaching into his long coat, pulling out a single photograph. Sliding it across the table, Paikaru carefully took it, studying the young woman in the picture. "It would appear that he had some misgivings about our invitation from the start, and voiced them to her. She's taken all of his research and has hidden herself. We have an approximate location of where she'll be, however..."

"She won't let her guard down fer any of ya?" Paikaru asked, quirking a brow, before he pocketed the photograph, tucking it away with his work cellphone. "Not ta mention, ya don't speak the local language either."

"Since it appears unlikely that she'll cooperate with us, she needs to be eliminated before she can contact any authorities." Gin continued on, acting almost as if he hadn't even heard him speak- that was exactly the reason he could never stand this guy! "And of course, we'll need the research that she's taken with her. However, if we discover that someone has looked at it before we had the chance to... I think you know what will happen, Paikaru."

"Yes, yes. Ya don't have ta threaten me." He didn't doubt that they would have ways to tell, and he wasn't about to chance anything. There might be a chance that he could pump some information out from this so-called assistant, but what he would _do_ with it afterwards was up for question. "I'll do it."

"Good." Once more reaching into his coat pocket, Gin produced an envelope, one which Paikaru quickly opened, giving the contents a cursory look. "The documents that you'll need. Your flight leaves tomorrow, at nine in the morning. It's a private plane, so you don't have to worry about what you bring with you. Don't miss it. Once it's done, report back to us right away."

"Short timeline." Paikaru couldn't help but observe, tucking the envelope back away. It was a good thing that he had picked a jacket with deep inner pockets this morning. "Expectin' guests?"

"Jodie Starling was seen going in and out of the hotel." Vermouth was the one to speak up, casting a glance over towards him. "It's likely that the FBI are probably looking into his identity as we speak. It's prudent that you get there before them. We can't have them catching on to what we've been looking into, after all."

"If you hadn't failed to eliminate her during your first encounter with her, we wouldn't be having this issue right now." Gin's tone was short, his eyes narrowed, and the implications of his words crystal clear. "I hope that your time observing him hasn't put any strange ideas in your head in regards to Mouri Kogoro."

"Of course not." It was the simple truth- after all, Mouri Kogoro wasn't the real brains behind the Sleeping Kogoro. As for who was- that was a secret that he intended to take with him to the grave, if necessary. "The only interest I have in him outside of work is simply because he's the father of a friend of someone I know. Nothin' more than that."

"Then, if we were to give you an order to silence him?" There must have been ice in his veins, from the way that his gaze chilled Paikaru to the bone. His question was chilling enough, but to his credit, he didn't even flinch when asked it. It was something that he had been long expecting to come, at one point or another.

The other reason that he hated dealing with Gin, was that ever since that Halloween party, he had always held him under a measure of suspicion. The fact that he didn't trust Vermouth's hidden agendas had more to do with it than anything else- he probably thought he was caught up in them, and would likely go along with anything that she had to say. He had a reputation for being her loyal dog for a reason, as much as it grated at him.

"I would carry it out." Paikaru could only hope that his words were a lie, that even he wouldn't go that far in order to protect himself. He had to draw a line in the sand somewhere, and he could only hope that was something that would go beyond his limits. "Are ya askin' me ta, Gin?"

"No." Gin said simply. "Not yet."

"Well, that's fine then." Getting to his feet, Paikaru tucked his hands in his pockets, carefully studying the long haired man before him. If only he could get something like a name from him, he would be able to really help Kudo- but getting any information on either him or his partner was next to impossible. "Is there anythin' else that ya need me fer?"

"No, that's all at the moment." Vermouth told him. "You can return to your darling childhood friend now, if you like."

"She's not my _darlin_ ' anythin'." Shooting her something of a dirty look, for even daring to bring her up in front of someone like Gin, Paikaru nevertheless turned on his heel, making for the door. "If that's all then, I'll head back ta my seat. It would be a pain if she came lookin' fer me."

"If you fail, I'm sure you understand what will happen to that girl." Gin's voice was icy enough to cause him to freeze in his tracks, grateful that his back was turned to him, so that he couldn't see his expression. "There's no room here for those who can't properly fulfill their missions."

"You don't have ta worry about somethin' like that." Closing his eyes, Paikaru grabbed the handle of the door to the train car, letting it hover there for a moment longer. He couldn't even enjoy the irony of it being Gin who was making that statement, unaware that he might have very well made the worst mistake of them all- one that would come back to bite him in the ass later, if he had any say in the matter.

"I don't fail."

* * *

The first thing that she became aware of as she slowly came to was the fact that she was being carried. There was something about being on this person's back that almost wanted to lull her right to sleep again- there was something about it that made her feel secure, and comfortable, as if this was a place where she belonged. His scent was familiar and reassuring to her, and although the scenery around her was not the same as the scenery had been when she had fallen asleep, she didn't feel the least bit worried, knowing that she was in the care of someone that she trusted deeply.

"Ya awake, Kazuha?" It was his voice that finally snapped her out of her half dreaming state, her pinks turning a bright shade of pink as she finally fully realized who it was that had been carrying her.

"H-Heiji!" Stammering out his name, Kazuha jerked backwards, causing him to let out a shout of protest, stumbling backwards himself. After a moment of near panic, he managed to steady himself, letting out a long breath, before shooting the girl he was carrying piggyback a sharp glower.

"Ya want me ta drop ya or somethin'?" Heiji snapped, grumbling a little as he turned forward again, his eyes once more disappearing underneath the brim of his cap. "Honestly, first ya wouldn't wake up when we got ta the station, an' then ya freak out when ya do. I could have just left ya there, ya know. Ya should be grateful that I didn't, especially when yer not exactly that light."

"S-shut up, _idiot_! Nobody _asked_ ya ta carry me!" Grateful that he couldn't see just how flustered her face was, Kazuha nevertheless couldn't force herself to try and get down. Hearing the sound of her heart pounding in her own chest, she couldn't help but wonder how it was that Heiji hadn't noticed it at all- and they were so close right now. "A-anyways, ya can put me down now. I can walk on my own!"

"Then go right ahead!" For as sharp as his tone was, Heiji nevertheless took great care in setting her down, making sure she was steady on her feet before he fully let go of her. "Why are ya so tired anyways? Don't tell me that ya've been workin' yerself too hard again at practice."

"That's not it!" Kazuha protested. "I just stayed up late last night makin' a plan ta cheer Ran-chan up, that's all!"

"Even so, ya need ta take proper care of yerself." Heaving a long sigh, Heiji reached up, tugging the brim of his cap down a bit more. Right now, he didn't quite trust his own expressions, especially not around _her_. It wasn't something that he was able to shake off so easily, hearing her brought up in such a context. "Aren't ya always the one lecturin' me about the same thing? Practice what ya preach, Kazuha!"

"I don't want ta hear that from ya." Kazuha noted, the sharp tone to her voice slightly offset by the strange atmosphere her friend was giving off. With his cap faced forward, she couldn't help but wonder if there were some kind of case that was troubling him again- it seemed like there were an awful lot of those these days. "Is somethin' wrong, Heiji?"

"Nothin' major." Lying through his teeth, Heiji shook his head. He knew better than to try and tell her that nothing was wrong- she knew him well enough to know that much. "I got a call while you were sleepin'. About a new case. I know I promised ya the other day, but it doesn't look like I can bring ya with me on this one after all."

"I see." There was something to his tone that made her not want to argue with him- so instead she simply took a step forward, flashing him a small smile. "When do ya leave this time?"

"Tomorrow morning." Heiji told her, grateful that she wasn't fighting the point. He wasn't sure that he had the energy to bicker with her as he usually did right now. "I don't know when I'll be back. It seems like it's goin' ta be somethin' of a tough case. Sorry, Kazuha."

"It's fine. I know how it is." Kazuha said simply. "The life of a popular high school detective sure is busy! Especially with Kudo-kun more or less out of the picture right now." Shrugging her shoulders, she heaved a long sigh. "I guess in lieu of him, people just have ta make do with ya instead."

"What's that supposed ta mean?" Unable to help himself, Heiji grumbled a little at her comment. "I'll have ya know that I'm a lot of people's first choice!"

"Now, now, don't get yer fur all raised up, Heiji." With a small laugh, Kazuha cast a glance back towards her, her smile dampening somewhat. Just as she thought, he really was troubled about something- and she got the feeling that this was one of those things that she wouldn't be able to get him to talk to her about. He had always been that way, ever since he was a child- but ever since late middle school, it had gotten worse.

Taking a step back, Kazuha carefully took his hand in her own, her fingers twining with his before he had a chance to protest. One finger lightly running over the scar that she had given him, she instead cast him a bright smile. She wasn't sure what was troubling him so, and she wasn't sure what she could do for him if he wouldn't open up to her about it- but at the very least, she could do this much.

"I'll be right here when ya get back, Heiji."

She didn't know why it seemed to comfort him to hear that, but if it eased some of his worries, then she would say it until he was sick of hearing it.


	12. Shadows Chasing Shadows

**AN** : The next chapter is finished, for everyone's enjoyment! And goodness me, goodness my, what a development we have in this chapter! As always, thanks to everyone who reads and supports this story, and as always, I love hearing what you think, and love hearing your theories, so don't be afraid to leave a review!

Until next time!

* * *

 **Black Echo**

 **Chapter Twelve**

 **Shadows Chasing Shadows**

* * *

"And? Did you ever hear anything further from our mutual friend after that?"

"No, nothing." Shaking his head, Subaru told him that much frankly. "Judging from your tone, I suppose that she hasn't contacted you either."

"No, she hasn't." Conan told him honestly, dwelling on the information that she had contacted them with. First the codename of the Organization's number two, someone even more important than Gin or Vermouth, Rum, and then the codename of the Organization's loyal dog, one who made hunting traitors his business, Paikaru. He couldn't help but be worried about her, but unless she contacted one of them, there wasn't anything much that he could do for her.

If something happened to his sister because of him, he wasn't certain if he would ever be able to look Hondou Eisuke in the eye again. Provided that they ever saw each other once more- he had well and truly gone to earth upon moving to America. Considering his goal was to follow in the footsteps of his father and older sister, and join the CIA, that wasn't surprising.

"I see." Subaru said simply, placing a hand on his chin in thought. "Still, if she really was in danger, I believe that she would contact us if she were able to. Given that she's been able to send two messages, however brief, since then, I would have to say that it's highly likely that she's not only alive, but that she also remains undiscovered."

"Hopefully that's the case." Conan said, leaning back in his chair. "Well, if the Organization realized that she was a NOC, then there's a chance that your cover might be blown with it. It was close enough as it was with Amuro-san, but..."

"Speaking of him, have you been able to gather any information from him?" Opening up one eye, Subaru cast a glance down towards the child that he knew wasn't a child. What a curious thing, that Kudo Shinichi would still have the appearance of the boy that he had met ten years ago- an occurrence which he was quite certain was recent. He didn't quite know the reason for it, and until he did, he would keep his silence.

He wanted his trust, not his enmity.

"From Amuro-san? No." Shaking his head, Conan merely shrugged his shoulders. "There's no way I could just casually ask him, double agent or not. We're lucky as it is that he didn't report Kir to other members in the Organization. Even if we kept him from connecting Okiya Subaru and Akai Shuichi for the moment, he still knows that you're alive now, and that the first part of his deduction was likely right. That's more than enough to expose Kir."

Perhaps as a fellow NOC, he had some kind of sympathy for her. Or perhaps exposing her held too high of a risk to himself, fearing that she might expose him in turn. The only person that he could use as a hostage against her was far out of his reach, after all. Whatever the case, it worked out for them, so he wasn't about to press the issue.

"That's certainly true." Subaru noted. "And it would seem that the one you asked me to watch over doesn't have all that much information herself, judging from what you told me before. Just knowing that he speaks in the Kansai dialect isn't that much to go off of." There was a small pause there, a hang to his words, before he continued. "Are you certain that the partner he was with at the hotel was really Vermouth?"

"Yeah, I'm almost one hundred percent certain." Conan told him, narrowing his eyes. "Haibara told me that he has close ties with her, so if he was with anyone there, it was probably her. Of course, the face wasn't the same, but for _that woman_ , changing her face is as easy as changing her clothes. That's why it's likely that the face Paikaru was wearing probably wasn't his own either, all the more so if his true identity is something the Organization wants to keep secret, even from it's own members."

"There's still a chance I might be wrong about that though." Conan noted. Honestly, there was a small part of him that almost hoped that was the case. It would make searching for him a lot easier if they knew what he actually looked like- at least, that was the explanation he had settled on after puzzling over this strange feeling for some time. It wasn't all that often that he wanted his detective's intuition to be _wrong_.

That... bothered him, more than he was willing to admit. There was something about this matter... something about this case that he didn't like. As to what that was, he hadn't yet managed to come anywhere near close to putting his finger on it, which was both frustrating and worrisome.

"And? What kind of impression did you get from him?" Subaru asked.

"Jodie-san asked me the same thing, you know." Conan couldn't help but note, giving him something of a wry smile. It was a fair question though, even if it was one that he didn't like dwelling on overmuch. Something about it bothered him- though he didn't really understand _why_. "I've had the misfortune to cross paths with several of those shady guys in black so far, and the impression that I got from him... it wasn't the same. I'm almost one hundred percent certain, it was him, though."

"So in other words, what you're saying is that he seemed somehow different?" Subaru asked once more, carefully studying Conan's features. Normally, this would have been something that he would have noticed- but it would appear that he was somewhat distracted today.

"Yeah, something like that." Conan told him, reaching up to scratch his head in frustration, frowning a little. Maybe he was just annoyed because it wasn't that often that he ran into adults that treated him seriously right off the bat, instead of needing him to prove himself to them. To think someone like that could be with _that bunch_... it almost felt like a waste. "He was certainly on the friendly side when I spoke with him, especially for someone who had just killed someone, but I don't think it's just that. But as for what that is... I don't really know just yet."

"Maybe I'm just used to them speaking standard Japanese. Even Vermouth uses it." Conan admitted after a moment, shrugging his shoulders. There had been Tequila- but the man had died almost right after he had encountered him, largely by pure accident. It was a reasonable possibility, but he didn't quite think it explained it.

The uneasy feeling that Paikaru gave him wasn't something he was quite ready to speak with the FBI about. It was too vague, too ephemeral, something he still hadn't quite put his finger on when it came to the reasons behind it. Of course, bringing it up with Ai was out of the question, since he didn't want her to know someone like that really was operating out of this area. As for the Professor and Heiji... well, maybe he'd speak to the Professor about it if he had the chance, he was always good for voicing these sorts of things to, but as for _Heiji_...

He didn't want his friend to worry about him, at least not more than he probably _already_ was. It would be best not to bring it up with him unless it somehow became important. He wasn't naive enough to think that it was nothing at all, but until he had something more conclusive than a vague feeling to go off of, he would keep it to himself.

It _definitely_ wasn't just because the fact that the two had such similar builds was still bothering him. Being subject to such paranoid suspicions was one thing, but if he let them take over his life, he wouldn't be able to accomplish anything. Such coincidences like that were definitely possible, and there was no reason to think of it as anything more than one.

The idea that _Hattori Heiji_ , of all people,could have anything to do with _them_ was so laughable, it was almost the worst kind of bad joke. If anything, that guy was the exact opposite of an Organization member- outgoing, reckless, and far too honest for his own good. If there was a member of those guys as hotblooded as Heiji was, he'd frankly like to meet them- they were probably an interesting person, criminal connections aside.

"I suppose that is true." Subaru admitted after a moment, narrowing his eyes slightly underneath his fake glasses. Judging from the troubled look on Conan's face, there was something about his question that had bothered him quite a bit. "Speaking of mutual friends though, has she already contacted you about it?"

"Ah, you mean Jodie-san?" Conan asked, glancing up at him, giving him a small smile. "Yeah, she called me about it this morning. She's going to search for the assistant of that man who was found dead back then, isn't she? If I recall, her flight leaves this afternoon."

"That's correct. We're under the impression that she took whatever they were researching and ran, after destroying all other records of it. If that's the case, then it must be something that the Organization wants to get their hands on quite a bit." Subaru told him, a deep frown setting itself on his features. He would prefer if Jodie went with some kind of backup, but if too many of them moved at once, that bunch were more likely to take notice.

Since he was technically supposed to be dead, and since Okiya Subaru didn't actually exist, it wasn't as if he could accompany her overseas. He would just have to leave everything over there to her- in her more than capable hands.

Odds were that the Organization had already heard about this matter, and had already sent out their own men- possibly even the very same one who had killed that scientist in the first place. He had spared Jodie once already, but he wasn't counting on that luck to continue. He had probably only been concentrating on escaping at that point in time, but there was no telling what would happen the next time they met. Jodie was a quick shot, and rather accurate at that, but when he didn't know anything about her opponent's skill level, it was hard to say how things might turn out.

Unless there was another reason why he hadn't tried to shoot at Jodie back then. He wasn't ready to entirely rule out the possibility just yet.

Especially not if what he was considering might actually be true. If it were, he couldn't yet say if it would be fortunate or unfortunate for them.

"If that's the case, we need to do whatever we can to get ahead of them." Half muttering those words to himself, for a moment lost in thought, Conan forgot about his surroundings. Really, he would have liked the chance to go with her- but such a thing was impossible. He didn't want to have to introduce the members of the FBI to Kudo Shinichi, at least not just yet, and there would be no plausible reason for seven year old Edogawa Conan to be there. Plane tickets were expensive, especially overseas ones, so it wasn't like he could just ask the Professor to get them so last minute.

"That's right." Subaru said simply, pausing to adjust his glasses for a moment. That expression was more like the Edogawa Conan he had come to know- whatever had been troubling him earlier, he had left it behind to focus on other things. "I did tell her to keep in close contact with us, so if something happens over there, I'm sure she'll call us as soon as she can."

"That's true." Nodding his head, Conan pushed himself up out of the chair, giving the man a small smile. "I had better get going before I'm late for school. Let me know if either one of them contacts you, okay?"

"I will." With a curt nod of his head, Subaru easily promised him that much. It was only once he was certain that Conan was gone that he got to his feet, opening both eyes.

There were several things that he hadn't yet told the one currently known as Edogawa Conan. One of them involved the boy himself, and was probably something he would figure out on his own at some point. It was a secret buried within his own memories, after all, and something that with time, he was bound to recall. Especially with that younger sister of his lurking around.

There was one other thing, though. And it was that one other thing that was the more troubling of the two.

He hadn't been lying when he had claimed that there was no Organization member who went by the codename of Paikaru back when he had been involved with them. However, this _wasn't_ the first time that he had heard of such a codename. It had been something that had been mentioned to him once before, almost as an offhand comment- that there had once been a woman who was slated to receive that very codename, right up until she decided to betray the Organization, and fled it, alongside one other member.

Given how _they_ worked, he highly doubted it was a coincidence. And in light of that, one thing came to mind.

Seventeen years ago, that woman had been pregnant- that was something that they had found out from speaking with the guards of the prison where she was currently being kept. It hadn't been that hard to find her- a foreign woman with a life sentence being kept in a highly secure Japanese prison was going to stand out, no matter where you tried to hide her. Because the crimes that she had been arrested for had been done on Japanese soil, and because they had only just begun to understand that such an Organization existed back then, she had been tried and imprisoned here.

As for the other member, a skilled Japanese driver without a codename, he had apparently committed suicide in his cell not that long after he was arrested. It would seem that the act was a genuine one- and not just a murder that had been covered up.

As for the woman herself, they hadn't been able to speak to her just yet. The man in charge of the district the prison was located in was stonewalling all of their requests, and James wasn't ready just yet to give their reasons for wanting to speak with her. It was true that by this point, most of the information that she would have in regards to the Organization would have become outdated and useless- which was likely the reason they hadn't bothered to eliminate her.

As for the reason why Osaka's chief of police, Hattori Heizo, was so disinclined to allow them to speak with her, it had been something they had quickly been able to figure out. The baby that the woman had had vanished into thin air- there was no record of any child matching it's would-be description anywhere within the foster system of Japan, nor in any orphanages in the area. Even if they didn't know what the baby in question looked like, or even their gender, judging from their mother's skin color, they would have stood out.

Had she not given birth while under guard at a police hospital, it would have been natural to assume that the baby had been taken by the Organization, to be raised by them. That was the way that they did things, after all- it was easier to groom your future members from the very start, than to recruit them later, though they did more than their fair share of that as well.

Certainly, there were no babies that fit the bill within the foster system. But there _was_ one- a baby that had appeared around that time, whose skin was noticeably darker than either of his parents.

A DNA test would confirm it beyond a shadow of doubt, but it was unlikely that they would ever receive clearance to do something like that. It was a connection, however indirect, that had temporarily placed both the head of police as well as his son underneath suspicion early on, and while the suspicions against the father had quickly been determined to be baseless, the ones regarding the son lingered a just little bit longer.

The very first time Jodie had reason to see him in person, he had attempted to disguise himself as Kudo Shinichi- quite badly, but it was an action that had caught her attention at the time. The high school detective of the east's own disappearance had been something that had caught their attention. However, after their second meeting at her apartment, and seeing how close he was to the boy called Conan, combined with the fact that he failed to understand what she meant by any of the more leading questions that she had ended up asking, he had also been ruled out as having any involvement with _them_.

Other than being unfortunately blood related to one of their former members, of course. Even that, he didn't seem to be aware of.

That had been what had been determined at the time. He'd been rather convinced of it as well, especially after the events of that night. Knowing what he knew of Edogawa Conan's likely true identity, as well as what he knew about his mother's disguise skills, it wasn't hard to piece together what had _really_ gone on during that night. If he was someone that boy considered such an ally to him that he would trust him with something like that, then the odds that he could have any kind of direct involvement with _them_ was next to nothing.

But not impossible.

The boy probably hadn't begun to realize it himself just yet, though the seeds of it were there- and that, most likely, was the source of how troubled he seemed to be currently. He was missing critical pieces to the mystery, but above all else, the one that was now under the most suspicion from Subaru's own perspective, was someone who was above suspicion from Conan's point of view.

But if such a thing really were true, then the situation might actually be far worse than he had first anticipated. He hadn't yet voiced such suspicions yet to Jodie, nor had she ever heard the detail of what that woman's codename might have been, had she not fled them. There was still a chance that she might make the connection on her own, however, for the moment, he would keep it from her as well. She was rather fond of Conan, after all, and with a matter that touched this close to him, it was too early to take such a risk.

He would have to contact James about it, however. As someone who didn't exist, he would never be allowed clearance to speak with a prisoner.

It would seem that there was a need to once more reopen the investigation into the most unlikeliest of subjects- the one who was known in some circles as Kudo Shinichi's rival, the high school detective of the west.

Hattori Heiji.

For many reasons, he could only hope his instincts were wrong. Or that, perhaps, there was a bit _more_ to the story here.

* * *

"What do ya want, Vermouth?"

Carefully studying the nails that she had just painted, Vermouth frowned slightly at the tone of the one addressing her. She had come to expect it from him, and even found it amusing, but nonetheless, rude was rude. Switching over her cellphone to her opposite shoulder with her free hand, she shifted her shoulder so that she could hold it in place there against her ear.

"Oh? Is that really the sort of way you should speak to your benefactor?" Though no one was around to see her, her lips nevertheless naturally set themselves in an amused smile, as she carefully plucked the nail brush from the bottle, careful not to disturb the nails that she had just painted. "Especially when I'm contacting you to let you know some rather important information."

" _Benefactor_? That's a fine thing ta say, considerin' _yer_ the reason I'm havin' half the problems I am now." As expected, Paikaru's voice on the other end of the line remained bristly.

He did have a point, after all. The one who had originally approached him about joining the Organization had been herself- although it hadn't been her idea. She had been against the idea at the time, truthfully. It might run in his blood, but there were too many risks involved with recruiting someone who had been raised by a man such as Hattori Heizo, no matter what kind of information that they had on him.

She thought that she had been proven wrong for once- at first. It had taken a few years, but it would seem that her intuition had been right on the mark after all. That said, considering it all worked out rather well for her, she was more than willing to let it slide for the moment. If he ever seemed as if he was going to become more of a liability than an asset to her, however...

Well, a pawn was a pawn, even if that pawn was only just a child.

"I suppose I can't deny that." Vermouth said simply, carefully painting one of her nails. "So? Do you want the information that I have or not, Paikaru? You might find yourself in a bit of a pinch without it."

There was a long, exasperated sigh on the other end of the line before he finally actually replied, a grumbling tone to his voice. "Fine, fine. Although I kinda guess the reason ya might be callin' already. It's about the FBI, right?"

"Smart as always, I see." Vermouth told him, brushing aside his grumbling. "That FBI woman is on her way there right now. She boarded a plane not thirty minutes ago."

"Anyone could figure that much out, based on what that old man told me yesterday." Paikaru pointed out, before heaving another sigh. He had always known that there would come a time when things would likely become tricky for him, but now that he was dead set in the middle of it, he couldn't help but wish that it hated held off for awhile longer. "So? She with anyone?"

"No, she's by herself. Most likely she'll make contact with agents who are already there." Vermouth noted, carefully studying her nails, making sure that she was satisfied before she placed the brush back in the bottle, twisting the cap back on. "But something like that shouldn't be a problem for someone who _doesn't fail_ , right?"

"Shut up. If ya don't say things like that ta him, ya _know_ how that guy gets. Sure talks big fer someone who failed big time." Paikaru noted. "Yeah, I should be able ta manage. I've got a good head start on her, an' that's more than enough. Don't worry yer pretty little head, Vermouth, I'll bring ya back what ya asked fer- an' I'll make sure that assistant doesn't become a problem fer us later."

"Thank you kindly for the compliment." A hint of a smirk quirked on her lips as Vermouth made out the sound of Paikaru clicking his tongue in annoyance over the phone. "That's good then. If you're that confident, then I'll leave the matter to you, Paikaru. But what are you going to do? If that woman from the FBI sees your face?"

There was a long pause over the end of the line, and she knew that was something that he was debating himself. Finally, he let out another long, drawn out sigh, before giving her the answer that she already knew that she would hear. Really, he was far more selfish than Edogawa Conan- no, _Kudo Shinichi_ \- gave him credit for.

From what she had come to understand about Jodie Starling, she was the type who would probably hear him out, given the chance. Even with his connection to someone that she hated from the bottom of her heart- _herself_ , of course- she wasn't that sort of merciless person.

But speaking of people that she had come to understand, she already exactly what choice Paikaru would make if forced. She suspected that he was doing something behind her back lately, something that she was rather keen on finding out about- it was part of the reason that she had been keeping him so busy these days. But whatever it was that he had been doing sneakily behind her back, there was one thing that he had always understood too well- his position within the Organization.

And his position meant that he couldn't afford to spare Jodie Starling for a second time, not if she got too close to him again. If he took another gamble like that, it was possible that Gin wouldn't be satisfied with the explanation that he had been concentrating on escaping. Though he didn't remember feeding Apotoxin to Kudo Shinichi in the first place, ever since that event on that boat, he had been regarding Paikaru with some degree of suspicion. With someone like him, her support wouldn't help make him less suspicious- but perhaps only more so.

If he didn't want him to launch an investigation into his recent activities, then he had no choice but to continue to act like the ideal Organization member. Obedient and unquestioning, as if he had no free will of his own. And even beyond that, there was the fact that above all else, he didn't want to let his fellow high school detective know what sort of person he actually was.

And when those two factors combined, there was only one answer.

"If she sees my face, I suppose I don't have much of a choice." The voice that spoke those words was cold, as if he had locked away any guilt that they might carry somewhere deep in his heart. "I'll have ta just be careful ta make sure that doesn't happen."

"I see. That's a good, then." Using the hand that her nail polish had already dried on, Vermouth plucked her phone from it's shoulder cradle. Whether the woman from the FBI lived or died made no real difference to her. "A wise decision."

She didn't need to worry about his ability to follow through with it. She already knew he would.

* * *

"Honestly. I don't know if she was callin' me ta actually let me know that, or just ta taunt me." Casting a sour look down at his cellphone- his black work phone- Paikaru couldn't help but grumble. "That old hag needs ta find herself some new hobbies if she can't think of anythin' else ta do with her free time other than bother high school students."

Maybe take up knitting or something. It was just right for a woman of her age- whatever that age actually was. He only knew that she was quite a bit older than she appeared to be- though he didn't doubt for one second that the mystery of her unchanging appearance was one of those key mysteries that if solved, would lead to hidden truths about the Organization.

Even though he knew that, he wasn't any closer to solving it. He might be involved in her inner circle, but that didn't mean he understood anything about her. Like so many other things involving _them_ , he was being kept well away from anything that would expose her secrets.

As much as they freely used their dog, they tended to keep him on an awfully short leash. He hadn't cared all that much at first- but now it frustrated him. Like this, he could never get the vital information that he needed to help Kudo unravel their mystery.

Well, not that he had figured out a way to safely tell him the information that he _did_ know. He'd considered becoming an anonymous contact, but someone as paranoid as Kudo would have never accepted that so easily, and would have quickly dived into investigating the truth behind any such thing. He'd even considered rigging a fake scenario for him in which he would be able to discover what he had been searching for all this time- the poison that had shrunk him in the first place, a key which he needed in order to one day return to normal. But that too had the same problems as the first scenario.

The last thing he wanted was for him to regard any lifelines that he might toss his way as a trick, or a trap. He was living a paranoid enough life as it was already, he didn't need to feel as if _they_ were closing in on him once again.

Passing information down through Kir was possible, but given her own position after she had been captured by the FBI, there were limits to the things that she could do without rousing their suspicions. And of course, using Bourbon was completely out of the question- he might supply him with bits of information here and there in order to keep his mouth shut, but he wasn't willing to allow someone like that to get any further involved with Kudo. Not if there was anything that he could do about it, at least.

Well, not that any of that mattered right now. The most important thing now was to be sure that he would miss any encounters with that FBI woman- Jodie Starling was a valuable ally to Kudo, and furthermore, she was someone that detective agency's Neechan really liked. If something were to happen to her, in a place so far out of Kudo's reach... he had already caused him enough trouble lately, and he would rather avoid causing him any more.

At the very least, he hadn't been given direct orders to kill, not even by Gin. But the meaning of his words from yesterday were clear enough- that if he found himself with a chance to eliminate her again, and he failed to follow through on it, he would once more be placed under suspicion by the Organization.

He couldn't have that.

Besides, as a member of the FBI, the fact that she might one day lose her life while on the job was a possibility that she had probably already accepted. That would make it easier on him- though not by much, or at the very least, he _hoped_ that it wouldn't. He'd certainly changed since meeting Kudo, but no matter how much good had been reintroduced into him, it wasn't as if it erased the considerable bad that was already there.

Maybe the person he had ended up failing the most was himself. If he ever had to face down that bright eyed scrap of a kid who dreamed of becoming a detective like his father, he wasn't sure what he would tell him. He had certainly achieved his dream- but if this was the ultimate result of it, had it _really_ been worth it?

Of course it wasn't.

"Not that it's gonna do any good ta mull over that now. Can't be helped." Paikaru muttered to himself. Pausing only for a moment to pull out his other cellphone, a familiar charm dangling off of it, he sent off a single message, letting Kazuha know that he had made it okay. She was probably out of school right now, and he didn't dare call her like this.

Sometimes it felt like she was even closer to seeing through him than even Kudo was. Childhood friends sure could be scary.

"Now then," Tucking his usual cellphone back away, Paikaru recovered his helmet, securing it back over his head. He had pulled to the side of the road to take Vermouth's call, but he couldn't waste any more time here, not if he wanted to be certain that he would finish the job before Jodie managed to locate them. "...it's time ta get back ta work."

* * *

Naturally, the first place that she found herself heading upon arrival at the airport was the location of the lab that the murdered scientist and his assistant worked out of. It was mostly rumble now- since the assistant, a woman by the name of Eun-Ji Mun, had set it aflame before fleeing, but there was a chance that she still might be able to turn up a few clues. Even if she didn't, she had some idea of where to start looking- according to their information Eun-Ji grew up in a rather remote town in the country, and was therefore well acquainted with that area.

If she was hiding out somewhere, it was likely that she was there. If she couldn't find anything here, she would head there.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder why it was that she hadn't trusted the police with any of this. Perhaps what they were researching really was something like that- something that they couldn't speak of to people in authority. Putting a hand to her chin in thought as she walked through the flame charred lab, Jodie's brows knitted together, wondering what that could be.

Was it perhaps connected to Vermouth? The way she hadn't aged at all since she had first met her twenty years ago was striking, especially when she combined her with the odd state of affairs that was the Haibara Ai girl. Conan had told her that one of her relatives had been involved with the Organization, and that was why Vermouth was after her- but something about that explanation was almost _too_ convenient.

That boy was still hiding something from them- something important.

Well, that wasn't to say that there were a few things that _they_ hadn't told him yet either. But the reasons for that were rather easy to understand- somehow, she didn't think he'd really appreciate the fact that they had been investigating someone, however briefly, that he apparently considered to be quite a good friend. It was an avenue of inquiry that had turned up nothing, and the young man himself probably wasn't even aware of it. Both of the inquiry itself, and of his own heritage.

Children couldn't help who their parents were, after all. Naturally, there was no need to share something like that with Cool Kid. She didn't want to put a strain on that pair that seemed to work so well together.

Searching the lab turned up no conclusive results, but she didn't suspect that it would. Everything within had been thoroughly burned by the flames, far too damaged to be recovered. Most likely the building itself would have to be torn down- it was a total loss. That was just how far that the assistant had been willing to go to destroy any traces of what they had been doing here- so as she thought, it must have been something rather important indeed.

And because of that, there was no doubt that the Organization was after the very same person as she was. After news of her employer's death had broke, she had doubtlessly realized that it wasn't a suicide. Most likely, she knew that some suspicious characters had been in contact with him recently, and had drawn her own conclusions- enough so that she knew to flee.

A smart woman. Still, it would have been better if she had sought help from the FBI, or even the local police- but she supposed that she couldn't blame her. People who could think straight when they feared for their lives were few and far between, and it was something that she herself had to train herself to do. She wasn't like Shuichi, who did it as easily as breathing.

If there really was someone from the Organization here, they might have already visited the lab- and it was that avenue of thought that sent her asking questions of the locals, those who lived and worked around the building in question. Luckily, there had been an FBI agent working out of the area already, on another case, who had agreed to help serve as her translator for the time being.

"Eh? You've seen someone? A suspicious person?"

"Yeah, this morning." The man nodded his head at her question, though it was clear that he didn't quite understand her words, before responding to the translator. "He came around to ask a lot of the same questions that you did actually, miss. Didn't need a translator though."

"And? What did he look like?" Jodie asked, wishing that there wasn't a language barrier between them right now. Otherwise she could get her answers much quicker, and far more directly.

"Let's see... he was a young man. Wore a hood and a cap, as well as sunglasses, so I couldn't really make out that much of his face." The man supplied, placing a hand against his chin as he tried to recall more details. "Spoke real good Korean, but was probably a foreigner. Dark skinned, with a scar on his left cheek. Drove a motorbike. If I recall, it was black."

"Come to think of it, the guy actually wasn't wearing anything _other_ than black."

Black.

There was no mistake. It was one of _them_.

Thanking the man for what he had told them in what small bit of Korean she actually knew, Jodie reached for her cellphone. She had to inform James about this, and see if he had any further instructions for her. She didn't like the fact that the Organization had gotten a head start on them, but hopefully, they weren't any closer to pinpointing the Eun-Ji's exact location than they were.

Her first instinct was that the description that she had been given didn't match any Organization member that she had met yet- and her second was to realize that wasn't true. She had crossed paths with one- a young man with dark skin, whose left cheek had been recently grazed by a bullet of her own firing. It would seem that Paikaru really had come here, to finish the job.

That was just how vital it seemed that this research data was to the Organization. So important, that when they learned the one that they had been attempting to recruit because of it wouldn't join them, they had decided to erase him instead. Not only was it something that they direly wanted, it was clear that it was also something that they wanted no one else to get their hands on.

But if that was really the case after all, then it would seem that Conan's suspicions had been correct- that the face that the one known as Paikaru had been wearing at that party hadn't been his own. They left them nearly back at square one when it came to identifying him- but the fact that he had such a visible scar would serve as a good clue for the future.

Although given his connection with Vermouth, it was possible that he knew how to cover something like that up. It would be an easy task for the woman of a million faces, that eerie doppelganger who could impersonate a even a friend that you had known since childhood, and leave you none the wiser. Teaching such a simple makeup trick to one of her underlings would be simple- it was something even she herself could manage.

Still, if someone like that really _was_ here, searching for the same person that she was, she would have to act cautiously. He had spared her once, back at that hotel, not even firing a shot back towards her, and while she still didn't understand the reasons for it, she doubted that it would happen again. Her luck wasn't _that_ good.

Thankfully, her skill was better.

If they crossed paths again, she would capture him for sure this time. Even if fortune wouldn't smile on her, she didn't need it to- she would _make it_ take notice of her, and bend it to her wishes. And with that, she would finally have the piece that she needed in order to begin tracking down the one that she had joined the FBI to find in the first place.

 _Vermouth_.

This time for sure, they wouldn't escape her net- neither the loyal dog, nor his master.


	13. The Shot That Went Unheard

**AN** : Ah yes, here we are with the new chapter, hot off the presses! I ended up rewriting portions of this several times before I was content with the end result, but I think that overall, it really paid off! Man oh man, what a chapter this turned out to be though- I kept thinking that all throughout writing it, ahahaha.

Well, until next time!

* * *

 **Black Echo**

 **Chapter Thirteen**

 **The Shot That Went Unheard**

* * *

"He's here, Shu. There's no mistake about it."

"So it's as we thought." Momentarily closing his eyes, Subaru- or perhaps _Shuichi_ would be more accurate at the moment, considering that he had switched off his voice changer- felt the sound of something faintly clicking into place. There was no need for any specifics- just her tone alone was enough to tell who she meant. "They really did send him to finish the job."

"So it would appear." Jodie said. "For the time being, it seems as if he's gotten a head start on me, which isn't good. Even worse, it appears that he's also fluent in the local language."

"Meaning that it'll be easier for him to navigate the countryside and search out her location." Subaru noted, a tight frown on his face. "Well, at the very least, you won't be working alone, Jodie. You have made contact with the person that James arranged for you to meet, haven't you?"

"Of course. I would be having a tough time here if I hadn't." Jodie freely admitted. "Perhaps I should consider picking up Korean in the future. It might come in handy again."

"Perhaps." Subaru noted. "At any rate, be careful. They probably already suspect that we might follow up on this. If this really is the same person that you met that one time, there's no guarantee that he'll simply run away again."

Even if he was on to something, that didn't mean that Jodie previously being spared was anything more than a fluke. Perhaps he had simply calculated that the risks of drawing anything out were too great, and had decided to concentrate on escaping instead. Given her connections to Conan, he would have every reason to want to keep his identity a secret from her- even putting aside the fact that Conan himself had been there with her at the time.

There was one piece of information that he had managed to pick up since he had contacted James, and it wasn't one that was looking very good for that young man. According to what he had heard, Hattori Heiji wasn't currently in Osaka at the moment- but was supposedly working on a case by himself somewhere else.

Certainly, that could very well be true, and it could simply just be poor timing on his part- but his instincts were telling him otherwise. Even if he was only just a high school student, that alone didn't rule him out of the suspect list. Considering that he was already dealing with a high school student who could arrange such an elaborate plan like the one that had been involved in faking his own death, the possibility that a high school student could be involved with them wasn't that absurd.

After all, it was the same for the one that he had been tasked to watch over, the one who had once been known as Sherry. Akemi had mentioned her a few times to him- her younger sister, who was only eighteen years old. Clearly, the Organization didn't have an age limit on who they made members, nor to whom they gave codenames.

If Hattori Heiji really was one of _them_ , then it was as if they had invited a viper into their very nest, unsuspecting of it's true nature. The more Edogawa Conan trusted him, the better it was for the one who was doubtlessly pulling his strings- Vermouth. If that was the case, then it was rather hard to tell how things would turn out. That woman surely had her own agenda, outside of that of the Organization's, but what that was, even he couldn't begin to guess.

There was still a chance that he might be wrong, however. That a coincidence was simply a coincidence. That the Osakan high school detective bore _their_ blood, he had very little doubt, but that alone wasn't enough to suggest that he had any further involvement with them. Were it not for the codename in question, even with the information that they had gleaned about Paikaru- that he spoke using the Kansai dialect, and was likely dark skinned, it wouldn't have been enough to place the boy back on the suspect list.

There were no doubts about Hattori Heizo, after all, nor his wife, Hattori Shizuka. Both had been very quickly cleared of any suspicions cast towards them. It would be strange for only the son to be a member, when the parents were not- at least, that would be the case underneath ordinary circumstances. His blood ties might not be enough to prove him guilty, but they were more than enough to place him underneath suspicion.

"I'm always careful." Jodie told him simply. "It won't go like the last time. He's alone. I'm not."

Last time, Subaru knew, did not refer to the last time that she and Paikaru had crossed paths- but rather, to that night of the full moon, in which they had attempted to capture Vermouth, and failed. There had been too many unpredictable variables in play, and while some of them had worked to their favor, others hadn't.

"Still." Subaru insisted. "We're dealing with someone who can carry on a normal conversation right after murdering someone. And furthermore, someone that boy even went so far as to describe as _amicable_. We can't say what he might be capable of, especially if he's backed into a corner."

Especially if he had very important things to hide.

"I know that, Shu." Jodie said. "I'll watch my back. I'll be sure to return to Japan, with whatever those two were researching with me. Judging from fact that they've sent someone out here after her, it's clear that whatever it was they were studying, it's something that's quite important to the Organization. If we play our cards right, we might gain a big lead over them."

"That's certainly true." Subaru freely admitted. "Then, contact me again if anything else comes up."

"I will." Jodie told him. "But is everything alright over there, Shu? It almost sounds like you're troubled by something."

"It's nothing serious." Subaru told her simply, impressed that she could tell that much. He had been accused several times of having a rather monotone sounding voice- that was one of his fellow star FBI investigators for you. "I'm only just chasing a vague possibility right now. It's too early really to comment too much about it. If something comes up on my end, though, I'll be sure to give you a call."

In the event that he was completely off base, there was no point in telling more people about his theory than necessary. Being tarred twice with the same brush of suspicion was not an easy thing to shake off- and if he was wrong, the last thing he wanted to do was risk shattering Conan's trust in someone that he obviously held close to him.

"Then, be careful yourself, Shu." Jodie told him. "If by any chance, the Organization finds out that you're alive..."

"I'm well aware. It'll cause huge problems for her." Subaru noted, his thoughts briefly flickering towards Kir. That message that she had sent him, containing Paikaru's codename... perhaps he would be able to get something a bit further out of her, should he manage to contact her again. "I'll take care of myself. I have no intention of dying just yet."

"What a coincidence. I happen to feel likewise." Jodie remarked. "Well then, I'll call you again if I learn anything new, Shu."

With that promise, Jodie hung up, leaving Subaru to listen to the sound of the dropped call for a moment longer before he too, hung up his phone. Turning his attention to the files that he had been going through when he had gotten the call, he narrowed his eyes, tucking away his cellphone. It hadn't been that hard, to obtain copies of the case files that Hattori Heiji had been involved in- all he had to do was ask.

He couldn't exactly allow Conan to catch him going through them, however. In the event that his theory was correct, it would doubtlessly be a huge blow to the boy. Whatever it was that Heiji saw in their relationship, one thing was clear to Subaru- that at the very least, Conan regarded him as a close friend. If his theory were true... it was highly possible that the other had never returned those feelings.

And if he didn't miss his guess, the odds that Heiji was aware of not only Conan's secret, but the location of former Organization member Sherry, were rather high. If he really was loyal largely to Vermouth, then that was possibly the only reason that the Organization hadn't tried to make a move- he might have been placed where he was to observe them.

Nobody would suspect a high school student, after all. Not even someone as clever as Edogawa Conan- not when they had met long before he had truly begun to understand just how dangerous the Organization really was, from the look of it. After knowing him for so long, if there ever had been any suspicion of him at first, it was likely that he had been long since cleared of it.

If his theory was correct, then the wound the truth would leave on the boy would be deep indeed. That was why he couldn't involve Jodie in this right now- she was too close to Conan, as well as that girl from the detective agency, too involved with them. If Hattori Heiji truly were a member of the Organization, then he would have to be taken care of very quickly, before he could realize that anyone was on to him.

That was, if he hadn't followed the path of his mother before him, and turned traitor. But considering Paikaru's recent actions, he had his doubts about that.

* * *

"Sorry about that. S'nothing personal."

Such words flowed smoothly from his lips, as he carefully cleaned off the knife, before tucking it back away in his boot. "I _am_ grateful, ya know." Even though the one he was speaking to was no longer able to hear him, Paikaru continued to talk anyways- a bad habit, really. "I'll be able ta locate that assistant's location thanks ta yer information. Really, ya were a big help."

The dead man, naturally, said nothing.

The wrong place, at the wrong time- there had been any number of people that he had killed for very much the same reasons. Although it was regrettable, he couldn't exactly allow the man who had spoken with to pass this information on to Jodie later. Now that he knew she was chasing after him, he had to take more proactive measures in order to prevent her from drawing the same conclusions that he would.

Oh sure, from his death, she would be able to draw that he had been through here- but she wouldn't be able to get the same information from him. Searching around for it would eat up valuable time, and extend the lead that he had over her even further.

In order to protect the life of someone that Kudo valued as an ally, sacrificing the lives of others was necessary. It was the kind of logic that he knew the person himself would never be able to understand- but it was something that was second nature to him. If anything, it was Kudo's own way of thinking that was alien to him- and as much as he wanted to try and emulate it, in reality, he knew that he had already failed at it long ago.

A detective who corners a culprit and forces them into suicide was no different from a murderer. They were words that he could agree with- but also ones that had come far too late for him. As far as he knew, he had never taken actions that had forced someone to claim their own life- but in light of the fact that he had actually directly killed people, he supposed it didn't really matter.

Still, it was that kind of logic, and that way of thinking, that made Kudo who he was- and made him the sort of person who he'd decided to do anything for. Even if most of his efforts would go unrecognized, even if it were an inevitable fate that the truth would be realized, and everything would be destroyed- it was still something that he had decided to do on his own.

And he always was the type to stick with what he had decided to do, to the very end. No matter how it ended.

"Well, in yer case, it ended _very badly_. Sorry 'bout that." Paikaru couldn't help but note. Killing without getting any blood on him had become rather easy- honestly, those who couldn't were just amateurs. Crumpling up the borrowed cloth that he had used to wipe down his knife, he tossed it in the nearby trash.

Pulling out his cellphone, he shot off an update to Vermouth, before he paused, pulling out his other cellphone from where he had tucked it away. So that it wouldn't get in the way, he had switched it to silent, so if there was someone trying to get in contact with Hattori Heiji while he was busy, he wouldn't know. From the look of it, two people had tried- there was one missed call from Kudo, and a response to his earlier mail to Kazuha.

The missed call naturally caught his attention first, but judging from the brief message that Kudo had left, it didn't appear to be anything serious. When he was able to later, he would call him back, but now obviously wasn't a good time for that. As for the reply from Kazuha...

"Come back soon, huh?" Tucking his work cellphone away again, Paikaru couldn't help but feel a faint smile grace his lips- as if he _weren't_ standing next to the corpse of a man he had just killed. "Believe me, I want ta come back as soon as I can, Kazuha. The sooner I'm done with all this, the better."

Pulling up the hood of his jacket with one hand as he typed out a reply, Paikaru returned to where he had left his motorcycle. Starting up the engine, he lingered over his message for a moment longer, checking the message that he had just typed out over, to make sure there wasn't any part of it that didn't sound strange.

He'd rather not call her like this- he'd rather never speak to her like this at all. But neck deep in work like he was right now, he couldn't afford to flip the switch back to regular Hattori Heiji- if he did something like that, he would doubtlessly be weighed down by what he had just done, and to be frank- he didn't have the time for that sort of thing. It was much easier to send mails- more impersonal, maybe, but it was for that exact reason that they were so useful to him in times like these.

Satisfied that his mail was fine, Paikaru hit the send button. Tucking his personal cellphone back into his pocket, he had to carefully tuck the charm that dangled out of his pocket back in with it. If he didn't have it with him when he came back, she'd have any number of complaints for him, for losing something that important- and it would be bad in any number of ways if he managed to lose it here.

"Even though it doesn't even work." He couldn't help but mumble to himself, as he slipped his helmet on, feeling the engine hum underneath his gloved hands. After all, if the charm actually worked- if it actually had the power to repel evil, then there was no way someone like him would be able to touch it.

Even if he was the one it had been made for.

* * *

"Is something wrong, Conan-kun? You've got a troubled look on your face."

"Ah no, it's nothing, Ran-neechan." Quickly flashing her a smile, Conan tucked away his cellphone. "Heiji-niichan is just being a little mean by not answering my calls."

"Well, he's probably working right now." Ran remarked. "Kazuha-chan told me this morning that Hattori-kun was already leaving on another case again. He's been awfully busy lately. I think she's getting a little annoyed by it."

"Another case so soon?" Conan couldn't help but blink. Now that he thought about it, he had been apparently working on a case last Sunday as well- apparently in Nagoya, from what little they had heard from Kazuha. Though he had pestered him for the details of it, as he always did, Heiji had changed the subject instead. Frankly, he had forgotten all about it until just now.

Come to think of it, that was a bit odd for him- was there something about the case that he didn't want to talk about? Well, he supposed that even Heiji had things that weren't easy for him to say- maybe there had been something in it that had struck or nerve- or perhaps something in it that he thought might strike one of his own nerves instead.

"Yeah." Ran said, nodding her head. "Apparently he got a call from someone he knew while they were heading back on the train yesterday, and left early this morning. She was pretty upset about it, especially since he promised her that he would bring her along next time."

"What kind of case is it?" Conan asked, unable to help but be curious. For Heiji not to pick up either of the two times that he had called... at the very least, his phone was on, since he had gotten his voicemail. Usually he answered the phone right away when he called- but well, if he was working on a case right now, he was probably distracted.

"I don't know." Ran said, shaking her head, thinking it over for a moment. "She only told me that it might take awhile for him to finish. He didn't give her any details at the time. Well she did tell me that he sometimes takes cases like those from time to time. Ones that he didn't like talking about much."

"I didn't know that." Conan admitted, frowning slightly at her words. It was the first time that he had ever heard about it- although he knew that Heiji didn't bring Kazuha along with him on all of his cases, this was the first time he had ever heard that he sometimes didn't even discuss them with her. "Why?"

"Why, you ask..." Trailing off a little, Ran couldn't come up with an answer to that. "You would have to ask Hattori-kun about it, not me."

"Ah, I guess that's true." Conan quickly realized, letting out a slightly awkward laugh. The question had just slipped out without him realizing it- of course there was no way that Ran could know the answer. "Then, maybe I'll ask him about it the next time we see him."

For a moment, just for a brief moment, he suddenly got the overwhelming feeling that maybe he really didn't know Heiji as well as he thought he had. Something about that sent a chill down his spine- before he drew in a breath, shaking that ominous feeling off. That was to be expected- as well as the worked together, and as well as they got along, they had only known each other for around half a year, after all. That was normal, if anything.

Everyone had things that they didn't like talking about- maybe the cases had just involved such unpleasant things, that he didn't want to share them with Kazuha. He had dealt with cases like that himself in the past, ones that he didn't talk to Ran too much about- so he could understand where Heiji might be coming from.

Still... the fact that he wasn't even bringing them up to _him_ did trouble him somewhat. Was there a reason for it?

"Conan-kun?" Ran blinked, a slight frown crossing her face. "Are you sure nothing's wrong? You're wearing that troubled expression again."

"Ah, no, it's really nothing, Ran-neechan!" Conan was quick to reassure her again, shaking his head. Getting to his feet, he put on a show of letting out a loud yawn. "I'm getting a bit tired, so I'm going to head on to bed, alright?"

"Ah, alright." Ran said, nodding her head. "It is getting a bit late... maybe I'll head to sleep myself. Goodnight, Conan-kun."

"Yeah, goodnight, Ran-neechan." Nodding his head, Conan watched as she headed for her room, waiting until she had shut the door behind her before a rather tense expression crossed his face.

There was no reason to let something as minor as this bother him, but for some reason, he couldn't get it out of his head. Why? Why was that? Lately it had felt like his usually sharp intellect had been blunted by something, as if there was something clouding his vision- but no matter how much he turned it over, he just couldn't figure out what that was.

He didn't like feeling this way. This cloud of uncertainty that surrounded him made him feel as if he took one wrong step forward, the consequences could be disastrous. The fact that he didn't even know what the source of it was, was perhaps the most distressing thing of all.

No, that wasn't true. He knew. He knew what the source of it was. After all, these feelings hadn't started until he had learned of their existence- the one known as Paikaru.

These feelings probably wouldn't be settled until he finally caught up with him, and tore off his mask. And clouded with uncertainty though he was, he was no less determined to do just that- if he appeared before him again, he wasn't going to let him go that easily again. There was an expression that he knew, one that felt almost entirely too appropriate for the situation.

The third time's the charm.

* * *

"He got us."

Judging from the situation, it would appear that they weren't the only ones who had become aware of the presence of other powers searching for Eun-Ji Mun, the assistant of the scientist that had been murdered by the Organization recently. The man that they found had likely been dead for four hours already- and that meant they had that much of a head start on them. What's more, whatever information that he possessed, they were now unable to find that out.

Eliminating someone with no real connection to them just to prevent them from passing along valuable intelligence- that was truly the way that the Organization worked. There was no doubt in her mind now- Paikaru was a full fledged member. This wasn't the work of a NOC- there would have been no need for him to go so far.

Not to mention, there was no sign of resistance. Right up until the very second the man had been killed, it didn't appear as if he had been expecting that the person he had obviously let inside of his home out of his own free will to kill him. That was strange- normally when one let a stranger in their home, no matter how friendly they might seem, one would normally be on guard.

And yet, Paikaru had been able to come right up behind him, and slit his throat, just like that. They had already checked, and it would appear that he hadn't snuck into the place- there were no signs of forced entry or picked locks anywhere. In other words, the only way he would have been able to enter the house was if he had been let in by it's owner. The odds that they knew each other, under these circumstances, were rather slim.

So why? A stranger had been in their home, and yet they hadn't been on their guard at all. What sort of person was this Paikaru that he could manage something like that? Just as there had been no resistance, there had been no hesitation either- the man's throat had been cut cleanly, with an experienced hand.

Fitting for one who had been described as a dog of the Organization, he was the type who could steal a man's life without a second thought. The fact that he had been able to carry on such a friendly conversation with Conan, right after they had killed a person... exactly what kind of person were they dealing with indeed?

Conan had described the man he had encountered at the hotel, the one most likely to be Paikaru, as being amicable- but no matter how friendly they seemed on the surface, if a strange man entered one's home and began asking questions, it would raise suspicions even more.

With this, their chances of finding Eun-Ji Mun, and the research that she had taken with her, had grown slimmer. If only she would try and reach out to someone to help her, then maybe they could do something, but it wouldn't seem as if she had. She had James keeping his ears and eyes open for any signs that she was making contact with any outside agencies- but nothing like that had turned up just yet.

It was possible that her intention was to remain in hiding, and wait for the heat to die down. If she were dealing with any other group, then it would have been a wise choice- but the Organization didn't work that way. She knew that much from personal experience- they were hunters, who wouldn't let go of their prey until they were certain it was dead. If they didn't find her before them, she was as good as dead.

Of course, she was very interested in what research she and her former employer had been up to, that had the Organization so interested in them- but she was also invested in getting her out of here alive. No matter what she had been doing up until this point, she couldn't just sit still and allow them to create another victim. They had already created far too many.

Turning on her heel, she turned to the two FBI agents who had accompanied her thus far. It was regrettable, but she couldn't afford to waste time here. She had already lost enough valuable time as it was, and she couldn't afford to lose any more. It was best if she left just one of them behind to deal with the police and the ensuing investigation- for the moment, she had to follow up on the other lead that she had found.

She just had to hope that she wasn't too late for them either.

* * *

Fire.

As if it was taunting her, the smoke that drifted through the early dawn light was cast in her direction by the wind. One step too slow, one step too late.

Destroying evidence by fire- that was their way of doing things. She had cause to know that better than anyone, having once very narrowly escaped such a fate herself. Sometimes they still haunted her nightmares, twenty years after the fact- and for a moment, as she watched the burning villa begin to collapse in front of her eyes, it briefly overlapped with the sight of her childhood home, lit aflame, burned forever into her memory.

There was no doubt that the one who had been hiding there was already dead, and the information that she carried with her already reclaimed. One step too late, one step too slow- from the very start, she had arrived here too late. They had been slow in obtaining information about the assistant- surely if they had obtained it before now, the scenario that was playing out would have been very different.

But it was still too early to give up. There was only one road out of this place, both the small village that was nearby, and the abandoned set of villas that had made the perfect hiding place for someone who would have known the terrain- and if she was fast enough, it was still possible that she could head the one who had done this off. Perhaps it was for the best that she had left her fellow agent back where they had parked the car. Though approaching the villa alone had it's risks, the odds that Paikaru would have to head back down that same way were high.

She hadn't crossed paths with him on her way up here, but that didn't mean that he was long gone. There was a scent of gas that still faintly clung to the air- and briefly, she recalled that one of the villagers had complained that one such can had gone missing that morning. Using that, the fire could spread quite quickly- so there was a chance that she hadn't missed him by much.

Surveying the area once more, confirming that there didn't seem to be anyone there, Jodie once more made her way back down the road she had taken up here. If they had come up here by car, they probably would have made it in time- were such a thing still possible. The road that had been once used for construction vehicles had been left to crumble since then- it was no longer fit to serve it's original purpose.

The gunshot that rang out in the distance, for a moment, caused her to skid to a brief halt- but only for a moment. Was it her fellow agent who had fired? Was it Paikaru? She didn't know- nor did she know the origin of the four other shots that rang out right afterwards. Retrieving her own pistol from it's holster, Jodie tried to gauge the distance between her and the gunfire- as she thought, they must have come from where she had left the car.

One shot, followed by four shots- she had a bad feeling about that.

As she closed in on the car that she had rented, she ducked behind a tree, pulling herself out of any potential line of fire. Carefully casting a glance behind her, her eyes narrowed, just barely making out the sight of someone slumped on the ground by the side of the car- judging from what she could see of him, she didn't doubt that he was the agent that she had brought here with her.

As she thought, the other four shots had been to deflate the car's tires- it would seem that he didn't want anyone following him. Determining that he was nowhere around, Jodie came out from behind the tree, quickly hurrying over towards the side of her fellow agent. Kneeling down by him, a grim expression crossed her face as she confirmed what she feared most- he was already dead. It had probably been an instant death- one bullet, right to the heart.

That was when she heard it- a sound that had her leaping to her feet, pistol in hand. She had heard from the man that she had spoken with yesterday that Paikaru had been driving a motorcycle at the time- and given that she hadn't noticed any traces of other cars on her way up to this point, he must have still been using one. Trying to pinpoint the source of the sound, Jodie quickly ducked behind the front bumper of her car.

It was just as he had said. A black motorcycle, it's rider clad in black clothes. Even the helmet that served to obscure her face from his view was black. Steadying herself, she quickly took aim- not at the rider, but at the tires of the motorcycle. With a steady hand, she fired a single shot- one that struck true, bursting the back tire of the motorcycle. Making out the muffled sound of it's owner swearing underneath their breath, they managed to narrowly avoid colliding into a nearby tree, stopping just short of it.

She might not have been able to prevent him from killing Eun-Ji Mun, and she might have allowed him to kill the one that she had brought here with her- but there was no way that she was letting him escape from her. Not when she was this close to him, not for a second time.

This time, the ones who would emerge from this situation victorious would be none other than the FBI.

"FBI! Don't move!" Getting to her feet, Jodie emerged from her hiding place, keeping her pistol trained on Paikaru. The fact that he was wearing a helmet meant that she wouldn't be able to resort to a head shot, but she wanted to capture the man alive, not dead. If she killed him, she wouldn't be able to get any information from him about Vermouth- information that he doubtlessly had.

Even though she wasn't able to make out his features just yet, his body language alone was all that she needed to see. He was debating a course of action. No doubt that he had a handgun of his own hidden somewhere on him- and a knife as well, given the man he had killed before this. It was possible that he was carrying other dangerous things on him as well- so she would need to stay on her guard. She wouldn't give him a chance to reach for them.

"Step away from the motorcycle, and put your hands behind your head!" Jodie's voice carried through the early mountain air loud and clear. Coming to a stop some distance away from him, she released the safety on her pistol, ready to fire any time if needed. Her priority was taking him alive- but if she couldn't do that, she wouldn't hesitate to shoot him right here.

Expression concealed behind the tinted helmet, the Organization member known as Paikaru took a step forward, not quite complying with everything that she had ordered him to do. Now that he stood before her, she couldn't help but reconfirm what she had noted the last time they had crossed paths- that he really was a bit shorter than her. From what little she could make out of his appearance, he resembled the person that Conan had described to her- a dark skinned young man.

There was almost something vaguely unsettling about that. For a brief moment, the troubled look that had surfaced within Conan's eyes when she had asked about him drifted to the forefront of her thoughts- before she shook it off, knowing that she couldn't afford to lose focus here.

"Our little game of hide and seek is over. I'm going to bring you back with me, so that we can ask you all kinds of questions about those you're working for." Jodie told him, her eyes narrowing. He had managed to slip through their fingers once before, but this time she doubted that he had any bombs with him. "Remove your helmet."

At that order, Paikaru's fingers twitched. There was a tension that washed through his body- as she thought, he didn't want his face to be known. It seemed to confirm Conan's theory- that the face he had shown at that hotel party probably wasn't his own, but rather was the work of Vermouth's disguise skills.

For a long moment, Paikaru did nothing- likely, he was considering his options, trying to figure a way out of this situation. After a long moment, she watched as his body language seemed to shift- his shoulders slumping, as if he were resigning himself to his fate. It was an action that had her raising her guard, rather than lowering it- there was a chance that he might have something in mind.

"Are ya sure that's _really_ what ya want?"

The sound of his voice alone made Jodie's blood run cold. It wasn't one that she had cause to hear all that often- but nevertheless, it was one that she knew. As the young man reached up to remove his helmet, the reason why he was shorter than her slowly began to dawn on her. For a full grown adult, he would have been on the short side, true enough- but he _wasn't_ a full grown adult.

For a brief time, he had been on the list of those who might have had some kind of involvement with the Organization. It had been she herself who had established that this wasn't the case, verifying that he likely had no idea that he had even been adopted in the first place. As Edogawa Conan became more and more involved with their plans to counterattack the Organization, any lingering suspicions towards someone that he clearly trusted and viewed as a close friend had been lifted.

It was merely an unfortunate coincidence that the strange young child's friend bore their blood. Once he had been taken into the household of his adoptive father, the Organization had either lost track of him, or didn't care enough about the baby born to one of their former members to follow up on it. That was the assessment that they had come to- and it was an assessment that she had seen no reason to doubt.

Right up until this moment.

A dark skinned young man with an Osakan accent. A scar on his left cheek.

Cold blue eyes, the likes of which she _wasn't_ familiar with, that had seemed to reach some kind of decision.

The moment that she felt her grip loosen on the trigger of her gun was the moment that he took action of his own. Sucking in her breath, she felt her pistol escape her grip, the bullet that had shot it from her hands having grazed her fingers. In that instant, the situation that had just been in her favor had been completely reversed.

By someone that she could have never suspected.

By someone that she already knew Edogawa Conan likely didn't either.

In the back of her mind, she suddenly realized what the true purpose of his visit to her apartment back then had been- that in reality, the day at the hotel wasn't the first time that she had encountered the Organization member known as Paikaru. On that day, just as she had come to the conclusion that he wasn't involved in the Organization, he had likely come to his own conclusion- that she was a member of the FBI.

"Sorry about this. It's really nothin' personal, Jodie-han." The cold tone of his voice was nothing that she knew- but it was one that perfectly matched the expression on his face. "Maybe if yer lucky, ya might actually still win this gamble. But I really can't make any promises."


	14. MIA

**AN** : Nothing like a cold snap in April to bring down productivity. Thankfully, it should be warming up again by tomorrow, so hopefully things will go a bit smoother after this, update wise. Anyways, at long last, here's the next chapter of Black Echo! I hope everyone enjoys, and don't forget to review if you can!

Until next time!

* * *

 **Black Echo**

 **Chapter Fourteen**

 **MIA**

* * *

"Is there a reason why you came back on a different flight than originally planned, Paikaru?"

Even under Gin's rather intense gaze, he didn't wilt. He'd seen it too many times to have something like that faze him at this point. Instead, Paikaru merely shrugged his shoulders, casting a hint of a grin in his direction. "Heard there was a restaurant that I couldn't miss on my way back. Thought I'd swing by an' get a bite ta eat there first. Somethin' wrong with that?"

"It would seem that I must remind you to refrain from such impulsive actions." The tone was cold, his eyes narrowing as he spoke, but nevertheless, he seemed to accept the rather flippant answer.

"If ya didn't want someone who made impulsive decisions workin' fer ya, maybe ya shouldn't have hired a teenager?" Not letting the easy grin on his face fade, Paikaru leaned back in his chair. "Besides, there's no need ta get yer panties in a twist, Gin. I got yer information just like ya asked, an' made sure that neechan couldn't cause any further problems."

"And the FBI?" Gin asked.

"There's nothin' ta worry about there." Paikaru told him simply. "Of the two that followed me there, one of them is dead, an' the other one probably didn't survive fer much longer, judgin' from where I shot her."

"Is there a reason you didn't finish the job?" There was suspicion in his voice, those cold eyes locked with those of his own, searching for any hint of a lie in his gaze.

"I didn't know if she had any backup hidin' anywhere at the time, an' I didn't want ta risk stickin' around ta find out." Paikaru told him simply. "Well, even if she did, she probably wouldn't have lasted more than a few minutes, at most. I shot out the tires of her car, too, so it wasn't like she could get in it or anythin' like that. There's nothin' ta worry about."

"You sound rather confident about that."

It wasn't Gin who'd spoken. His gaze flickering in direction of the voice he'd come to know so well, Paikaru narrowed his eyes, sensing the challenge that her own gaze held.

"Course I am." Getting to his feet, Paikaru reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out the flash drive that he had obtained from that woman. "Who do ya think I am, some kind of novice? I might not have seen her die, but there's no doubt that woman doesn't exist in this world anymore. Ya know me better than that, Vermouth."

"I suppose that I do." Whatever challenge that she had issued, he had apparently met it to her satisfaction. "I trust that you haven't peeked at the information that you obtained for us, though. I believe that was one of your instructions as well."

"I didn't look." Paikaru said simply, placing the flash drive on the table, and pushing it over towards Gin. "An' that's the only copy. Just in case she had hidden anythin' else in that villa of hers, I set it on fire. The apartment that she used ta have in the city too, I took care of that as well. So? Ya got any _other_ problems with my methods?"

"No, that's fine, Paikaru." Vermouth spoke up, cutting off anything else that Gin might want to say. "You did well, on such short notice."

"Well, thanks!" Turning to look in her direction, Paikaru tucked his hands into his pockets, a smirk on his face. "Yer praise is what I live fer, old hag. Well? I am free ta go now, or is there anythin' else that ya need me fer?"

"Ya should be thankin' me anyways. I just took out one of those thorns ya've had stuck in yer sides fer so long now." Turning his gaze back towards Gin, Paikaru's smirk only grew. "Those FBI people are probably in a frenzy right now, tryin' ta find out where their agent went."

"That's everything." Vermouth told him, her eyes slightly narrowing in thought. There was something in both his phrasing and actions alike that bothered her- but it wasn't something that she could bring up here. Well, if her ticking time bomb had decided to take some actions on his own, she couldn't claim that she wasn't interested in seeing what he had planned.

"Then, if that's everythin', I'll take my leave. I've got an expense report ta submit anyways." Turning on his heel, Paikaru made for the door, only pausing to linger slightly in front of it. "If ya got doubts about me, Gin, I'd prefer ya voice 'em straight ta my face, rather than dance around 'em. I know ya don't think much of me because of what my mother did, but I've got nothin' ta do with that."

With that said, Paikaru took his cue to leave, without waiting for a response.

The guy wasn't wrong anyways. If there was one thing that he had inherited from the mother he'd never met, it was her betrayal. At some point, it felt as if betraying people had become the only thing he knew how to do. As much as he hated it, there was nothing that he could do to change at this point.

His mission might have been over, but it didn't seem as if he would be able to go back home for awhile yet. He'd sunk a bit too deep this time- and he didn't want to go back until he'd managed to pull himself back out once more.

Besides, he was going to need some time to help his guest settle in- once they woke up, that was.

That, and he figured that the he _probably_ had some explaining to do.

* * *

"Is something wrong, Conan-kun?"

"Ah, Ran-neechan." Judging from the concerned expression on her face, he could only imagine what kind of expression he had been making just then- and quickly forced himself to smile, though he didn't quite feel like it. "It's nothing, really. It's just that Heiji-niichan's still being mean, and not picking up my calls."

"Eh, still?" Ran frowned. "Kazuha-chan did mention that he was still away, but... it's strange that he won't pick up any calls."

"Any?" Conan asked, the word standing out to him. "Have you tried to call him too, Ran-neechan?"

"Yeah, once before." Ran told him, nodding her head. "Kazuha-chan asked me too, since he wasn't answering any of her calls either. Ah, but he does seem to respond properly to any mails you send him, so I think he's fine, but..."

"He won't even answer Kazuha-neechan's calls?" Conan blinked. That was strange- he didn't think Heiji was the type to cut off contact with Kazuha like that. Perhaps cut off contact wasn't quite the right phrase for it, since he was still sending mails, but it was strange that he wasn't making any phone calls.

His phone could have broken somewhere, but if that was the case, he would probably let them know that in one of his messages. It was true that Heiji could be somewhat absent-minded sometimes, but he wasn't to that extent. While it presented the chance that someone else had gotten a hold of Heiji's phone, and was for some reason sending out messages as him, it didn't seem very likely. After all, he had exchanged a number of mails with him too, and he hadn't noticed anything suspicious in them at all.

Honestly, he didn't know why this was troubling him so much. Maybe it was just because this was coming on the heels of him telling Heiji about Paikaru- to have something like this happen right after it, he couldn't help but worry that something had happened. Combined with the fact that Jodie was currently off following Paikaru's trail in a country that he couldn't reach, he was probably just feeling a bit paranoid.

"No, he won't." Ran told him, shaking her head. "Well, Kazuha-chan does say that he does this from time to time, but it's clear that it bothers her."

"This isn't the first time?" Conan asked.

"Apparently not." Ran told him. "Although she said that he had been getting better about it recently. Apparently he used to do this sort of thing a lot more often, around their first year of high school especially. I think she's just worried that Hattori-kun's relapsing into his old behavior."

"Around his first year of high school?" Conan asked, frowning a little. That would have been around the same time that Heiji was gaining his own reputation as a high school detective, if he recalled correctly. According to his own words, he had been poking his nose into various cases ever since middle school, but it was only around high school that he really began to solve cases on his own.

"That's right." Ran said, nodding her head, placing a hand to her chin in thought. "According to Kazuha-chan, he seemed to grow a bit distant from her around that time. During his last year of middle school as well, I believe. But why do you ask, Conan-kun?"

"Ah, I'm just worried about Heiji-niichan, that's all!" Conan told her quickly, giving her an awkward smile. Honestly, he didn't know why he was asking- it was just that there was something in the back of his mind that was bothering him, and refused to leave. It would have been easier, really, if he had any idea as to what it might be, but beyond a vague sensation of something being wrong, he didn't know what it was.

He hated it. It almost made him feel as if he was being suspicious of _Heiji_ , of all people- the one person that he knew he could count on to never lie to him. While he had grown used to suspecting the motives of the people around him, the fact that he was now doing it to someone who thought of him as a friend was enough to make him a bit sick.

As for what he was suspecting him of... well, of that, he wasn't sure either.

That was what he wanted to say, at least. When he actually seriously reflected on it, he found himself coming to an answer- just not one that he liked. One way or another, his suspicions probably wouldn't be settled until they finally caught hold of Paikaru, and tore off his mask.

The idea that there was a part of him _seriously_ considering the possibility... even if it was offset by the rest of him laughing off the idea as absurd, it didn't change the fact that he _was_ thinking it. If he let it continue to grow this way, he knew that it would only become a cancer on their friendship- and Heiji didn't deserve something like that. For his sake, he had to wrap this up as quickly as possible, in order to prove such a thing was impossible.

He'd never mention it to him though- if Heiji were to ever know something like that... no, maybe it wouldn't end that way. He'd probably me angry at him, but would forgive him in the end. That was the sort of person he was.

With any luck, Jodie might be able to catch his tail.

No sooner than he had thought that, he heard the sound of his phone ringing. Speak of the devil- the person on the other end of the line was none other than Subaru. While he thought it a bit strange that he might be calling him, Conan nevertheless made a quick excuse towards Ran, and headed out into the hallway to find himself a bit of privacy.

"Subaru-san? Did something happen?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone, one that made Conan's hair stand on end. When the man on the other side of the phone finally spoke, he felt as if the rug had been pulled out from underneath him, a rush of air escaping from his lungs.

"We lost contact with Jodie."

* * *

For all intents and purposes, outside of the one mission that they had worked on together, they had been trying to avoid publicly contacting the other. She was still underneath suspicion from certain members of the Organization, so if she was seen speaking to him frequently, that same suspicion might fall on him as well. Since they couldn't have that, they had avoided speaking to each other for the most part, even if their paths happened to cross.

So when he called her out not long after he had returned from his mission, it took her by surprise.

It took her by surprise- but she nevertheless understood the reason why. She'd heard, after all- it hadn't taken that much time at all for word to spread amongst the Organization that another one of the FBI dogs that had been chasing their tail was dead. The only thing that kept her from contacting any of her contacts within them with this information was the one who had been said to have done it.

She almost couldn't believe it, not at first. It was a feeling that had only lasted a moment, before she recalled the boy's own words.

 _"I could tell them, you know. That they can trust you."_

 _"They_ _ **can't.**_ _I'm not in a situation where I can leave the Organization, nor am I in a situation where I can refuse any missions that they send me on. I can't guarantee that I won't be forced ta work against them sometimes."_

She felt as if she was beginning to understand the meaning of them now, almost as if he had predicted that something like this would happen. Still, at the same time, she was willing to hear him out- to find out what had really happened there. That they had clashed, of that she had very little doubt- but beyond that, there were a number of unanswered questions.

Besides that, if it were her own actions that had backed him into this corner... then she owed him that, at the very least. Regardless of what she had thought of him before, there was no way that she could leave him alone- this boy no older than her own younger brother, who claimed that he didn't need help, even though he almost looked as if he were practically screaming for it.

The expression in his eyes, try and hide them as he might, made it clear to her that this wasn't something that was weighing on him with ease. There too, was an expression of being lost in thought, as if there was something he was still considering- something which piqued her curiosity.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting long." Setting down her handbag, Hidemi gave him a small smile. "I had to make sure that I wasn't being followed."

"Must be a pain, havin' them keep tabs on ya like that." Leaning back in his chair, Paikaru flashed her a smile, an expression which did not reflect within his eyes.

"I'm sure you're rather familiar with that yourself." Hidemi noted, glancing around the cafe, double-checking for watching eyes by instinct. "Have you ordered anything yet?"

"Not really much in the mood ta eat." Shrugging his shoulders, Paikaru's gaze flickered towards the waitress. "But I can call her over here if ya want. She might think we're on a date though- what a scandal that would be!"

"The sort of story that certain news publications would eat up. I'm familiar." Hidemi told him, her eyes briefly narrowing. He was deflecting- that much she could tell right away. Whether it was for his own sake, or for some other reason, she couldn't say for sure- but she was willing to bank on the former. "You called me here for a reason, though, didn't you?"

There was a long pause then, before Paikaru let out a long sigh, closing his eyes. "I did. But first, there's a question that I need ta ask ya. Did ya call them about it yet?"

"Not yet." Hidemi said, shaking her head. "I thought I should wait and hear what you have to say."

"Well that's awfully kind of ya." Paikaru remarked, peeking an eye open, a hint of a grin surfacing on his face. "Ya make it sound like you were sure I'd come an' talk with ya about it though. Did ya ever think that maybe this is just some kind of elaborate trap?"

"It's crossed my mind." Hidemi admitted. "But I don't think that's the case. You're too honest for that, Hattori-kun."

"Honest, huh?" As if she had told a bad joke, Paikaru snorted. "That's not somethin' I thought I'd ever hear in this line of work. What makes ya think so?"

"If you don't realize it yourself, then I'm not going to tell you." Hidemi said, for a moment, watching something more human flash across his face. "You're putting off the topic that we need to discus."

"I guess yer right." Paikaru said simply, averting his gaze from her, for a moment, seeming to be lost in thought. Just as she was about to call out to him, to snap him out of it, he turned his eyes back her way once more. "Guess I'd better get straight ta the main point, then."

"Jodie Starling no longer exists in this world."

She'd been expecting them, but the words still struck her hard. Taking a moment to compose herself, Hidemi drew in a breath. She had come here to hear the full story, after all, and judging from the considering expression he'd had on his face when she'd entered, she suspected there was a bit more to it.

"Was there anything you could have done to avoid it?" Hidemi asked finally. "Surely if you explained the situation to her..."

"Explained?" Paikaru's tone was incredulous, arching a brow at her words. "I don't think so. Frankly, I'm still not sure why _you_ believe me. Fer all you know, I really could just be stringing you along to get more information from ya, playin' up the victim card or whatever it is that ya see me as."

"I said it just a moment ago, didn't I? While that has crossed my mind, I don't think it's the case." Hidemi repeated. "Vermouth might have taught you many things, but I don't think acting is one of them. Besides, the first thing you made very clear to me is that you didn't even think of yourself as a victim."

"Well, I'm not." Paikaru admitted with a shrug, leaning back in his seat. "But ta answer yer question, it couldn't be avoided, not under those circumstances. Even if she believed me, I doubt she wouldn't have told her FBI colleagues about me, an' I can't have that. I said it before, didn't I? I'm not the enemy, but ya can't really trust me."

"You did." Hidemi said simply. "Would it really be so bad? If he knew?"

"Yeah." Fixing his gaze on the ceiling, Paikaru couldn't help but let his thoughts drift towards the inevitable- to the look of betrayal that would surely set itself upon his friend's face once he realized the truth. "For as long as possible, I just want him ta think of me as just Hattori Heiji. When he finds out..."

"Well, when he finds out, it'll be all over between the two of us." Turning his gaze back downwards, Paikaru forced a smile onto his face. "But that's the whole I dug fer myself by not bein' honest with him since the beginning. Can't do anythin' but live with it."

"Well, besides that, if the Organization found out that I had crossed paths with Jodie-han again, an' escaped without takin' care of her, it wouldn't be good fer me." Paikaru noted. "If I don't act like their obedient pet, they'll start lookin' into my recent actions more deeply, an' I can't have that. If they found out about me, I'm not the only one who is at risk."

"Your family and friends, right?" Hidemi asked.

"That's right." Scratching the back of his head, Paikaru's gaze flickered from hers once more, heaving something of an irritated sight. "Really, I should just go ahead an' make myself disappear while I still have the chance, cut all of my ties- but if I did somethin' like that, the Organization would know without a doubt that somethin' was wrong. If they're goin' ta target the people important ta me, I at least want ta be there in order ta stop it."

"That I can understand." Hidemi admitted, closing her eyes. "I can only be glad that Ei-chan is far beyond their reach right now. Though I say that, I really _do_ wish he'd accepted the FBI's offer to put him in the Witness Protection Program. I'd feel a lot safer then."

"Ya really care about him, don't ya? Yer littler brother." Paikaru noted, a hint of a smile, one a bit more genuine flashing across his face. "Yer amazin' yerself, ya know. From the sound of it, ya weren't even supposed ta be workin' with us yerself in the first place, but somehow ya never quite lost yerself, even you were trapped."

"I'm nothing that impressive." Hidemi said, shaking her head, a somber expression on her face. If it weren't for her careless mistake, after all... "I've still done plenty of things that I regret, too."

"Well, that's the difference between you an' me, then." Paikaru told her, as he got to his feet. "Fer the longest time, I wasn't even capable of that."

"And now?" Hidemi found herself asking, her gaze following him.

"Now... I regret things, sometimes." Tucking his hands into his pockets, Paikaru admitted that much. "But not enough, an' not as much as I should. If yer askin' if I regret what happened ta Jodie-han... then I guess do. Or I will, once it finally hits me."

"Even a little regret is better than nothing." Hidemi pointed out, even as her brows furrowed. "Is she really dead, though? At the very least, I owe it to them to let them know."

"Well..." Pausing for a moment, Paikaru cast a glance back towards her, a glimmer of something flashing through his eyes too quick for her to fully tell quite what it was. "There's no more _Jodie Starling_ , at least."

* * *

Nearly twenty-four hours after they confirmed loss of contact with Jodie Starling, the body of the FBI agent that had been accompanying her, along with the remains of an unidentified young woman, had been found. Though her body had been badly burnt, it was clear based on the height alone that it was unlikely to be the corpse of the FBI investigator, news which still didn't have them breathing easy.

There was no corpse, but the mountains were a vast place. Just because it hadn't been found yet, didn't mean that she was still alive. Even if she were, it was possible that she was now in the custody of the Organization, and might not be for much longer. She wouldn't talk- she'd sooner bite off her own tongue than do so.

They'd heard nothing from Kir yet either, but it was possible that either the news hadn't reached her yet, or she wasn't in a situation where she could currently contact them. Once word came... it would most likely cement Jodie's fate, once and for all.

For one who had already escaped such a fate himself, Subaru couldn't help but be bothered by it. It wasn't hard to guess what had happened based on the scene- Jodie had encountered the Organization member known as Paikaru as he tried to flee from the burning villa, and they had exchanged gunfire there. According to their time of death, it had happened around two days ago.

Though her body hadn't been found, a trace of blood that had been confirmed to belong to her had been. On other hand, other than the work that he had left behind, there were no traces of Paikaru. The person who had been sent out to ask questions of the local villagers only turned up the same description that they already knew- that of a dark skinned young man wearing black.

He'd taken care to avoid being caught on tape, in any way that would allow his features to be determined. It was quite clear that he was used to doing this sort of thing, and wasn't about to make any mistakes, even in a foreign country. They might have very well lost one of their own, only to have nothing to show for Jodie's sacrifice.

He hadn't passed on the news to Edogawa Conan just yet.

It would only be a matter of time before it reached him- but keeping it from him wasn't his intention. Even if he didn't pass on word, it was likely that either James or Camel would, especially the latter, if prompted by the boy. At this point, it would be impossible to keep him out of this case, and were he to try, it would only make him suspicious that something was being kept from him. That was the truth, but for the time being, it was best that he wasn't aware of it.

Were he to learn that not only had they been investigating someone he thought of as a friend, but that they had reopened said investigation... well, clever as he was, he was also still human. From the way Jodie had spoken of their interactions to them, it didn't appear as if he had any clue at all about the possibility that Hattori Heiji was anything other than what he claimed to be.

To him, he was just a high school detective, and a close friend.

If they were to go about this the wrong way, it might only serve as a warning to Heiji that he was under scrutiny from them, allowing him to cover his tracks. If his theory were really correct, and his connection to the Organization was stronger than that of mere blood, then in time, it would become impossible even for the ones who trusted him to deny it. Evidence would mount on it's own- but if he rushed things, the outcome might change.

And if they were wrong... it might very well damage his trust in them- what small amount he gave. That, likewise, was something that they couldn't have.

Whatever the case, this was an investigation that needed to be handled with a great degree of caution. Since there was a very real chance that they had lost one of their own to it, all the more so.

For that, one way or another, they would catch hold of Paikaru's shadow. And if it turned out that he and the high school detective of the west were really one and the same...

He couldn't even imagine what that boy's reaction would be.

* * *

Having known him for as long as he had, Toyama Ginshiro had come to know that expression on his superior's face. For a moment, he briefly wondered if perhaps his son had done something foolish to get himself in trouble again- before his gaze lowered to the contents of his desk, and he quickly decided that this was about something entirely different indeed.

Though not, necessarily, unrelated to Heiji.

"Did they put through another request?" Ginshiro asked, pulling Heizo out of his thoughts. For a moment, the man merely cast the faintest of glowers up in his direction- irritation, he thought, though not directed towards him. "I don't suppose they've made it clear what it is that they want to speak with her about this time."

"They have, this time." Heizo told him, leaning back in his chair, closing the file on his desk. "That's the problem."

"Ah." Ginshiro said simply, sensing this as his cue to take up a chair. He'd only come by to drop off some reports, but division one could survive without him for awhile longer. "Still, I don't know what it is they think she could tell them, not after nearly eighteen years have passed. She's never so much as said a word to us."

"And I doubt she would say a word to them either." Heizo noted, his brows furrowing. With his son absent as he currently was, he couldn't decide if the timing was the better for it. This was one case file that he would never allow the boy to see- it wasn't something that he needed to know.

He and Shizuka had long since agreed that come what may, they would always keep the truth from him. Even if it didn't crush him- which it might very well, there was the chance that he might try and look into deeper. And looking into this case deeper was akin to starting into the abyss, and praying that it didn't take notice of you.

There was no way that he would allow his son to enter such a dangerous situation. He found enough trouble on his own as it was, he surely didn't need to follow up on the shadows of the case that had brought him into their family in the first place. There too, was always the uneasy feeling that those same shadows might one day want to reclaim what they thought was theirs- the way the woman had pleaded with him was indication enough of that.

"Why is it that you think they're asking again?" Ginshiro inquired, sensing that there was a bit more to Heizo's worries than he had first let on. It was a matter that he knew he had personally decided not to get involved in, from the very moment that he had decided to take in the woman's son as his own. It ate away at him, he knew, allowing something like that to go unchecked- but the risk was too high.

It wasn't losing his life that Heizo was afraid of- it was losing something far more valuable to him than that.

"That they don't say." Heizo noted. "But now that they've made it clear what they want, I can't deny their request for much longer."

He didn't have to give voice to his reason for denying them in the first place. If too much dust stirred up from this case that should have been shut long ago, it was possible that the fallout might reach Heiji. Him finding out the truth from someone else... that was one thing that he knew Heizo didn't want.

"Are you going to approve it?" Ginshiro asked.

"I don't have much of an alternative, at this point." Heizo told him frankly. "I may perhaps be overthinking the matter. If they're already aware of her existence, it's possible they might have already become aware that she had a child around the time that we took her in. If they thought Heiji might have any relation, they likely would have already investigated the matter by this point."

Still, if that were true- it still bothered him that they were asking to speak with her again. He'd never gotten much of the story out of her, as she'd bit her tongue and refused to say anything. Not once had they ever learned anything more about this shadowy Organization that she had been desperately fleeing from, for the sake of her unborn child. Even within the confines of the high security prison in which she had been placed, it was as if she was afraid that saying too much could be the end of her.

The only reason he knew anything about them at all was because she had finally broken after her son had been born. When she'd heard that they had planned to have him be raised by an orphanage, since she had no other family, she had finally cracked- and pleaded that the child she had was made to disappear somewhere, somewhere beyond _their_ reach, otherwise all of her efforts would surely be in vain.

When pressed for more details, she had again silenced herself, realizing that she had already said far too much. It was enough though- enough for Heizo to decide to grant her one wish, to make the child disappear- by taking him as his own. Shizuka was nearly ready to give birth around that time anyways, if they passed them off as fraternal twins, nobody would question it too much.

In the end, their own child hadn't made it. But if anything, this only served to strengthen their vow to keep the child they had been given safe.

"That's certainly true." Ginshiro admitted, knowing all too well that Heizo didn't like the idea of someone investigating his son's affairs. "Well, it would take a fool to think that Heiji had any involvement with such parties. He's a good kid, your son."

"Mm." Merely arching a brow, Heizo placed a hand on the case folder. "Could serve to be a little less reckless, though."

* * *

From the cold shiver that ran down his spine, someone was probably talking about him. Pulling out his cellphone, the one belonging to Hattori Heiji, he quickly checked to see if he had gotten any new messages, or any new calls- but for the moment, it appeared that everyone was silent on that front. As he waited for the elevator, Paikaru found himself once more opening up the previous response he'd gotten from Kazuha, going over the words once more.

He'd promised her that he'd be back home in at least two days. Hopefully that was a timeline that he would be able to stick to. Everything depended, really, on the cooperation of his guest.

Honestly, getting her back inside the country wasn't easy. If anything, she should appreciate the trouble that he had gone through in order to do so- even if he had basically threatened her into compliance. She had no way of knowing that he would never carry out such threats, but they would be more than enough for her to follow his orders. His actions certainly weren't winning him any favors, that much he realized, but there was no way that he could bring her back on a private plane that had been charted by the Organization.

A commercial flight had been risky enough. Obtaining a passport on such short notice had been difficult, even for him- if he hadn't spent so long gathering information in order to one day use it when it came time for him to vanish, it would have taken even longer. She'd spent the entire flight looking as if she wanted to say something, but she'd taken him seriously enough to realize that it would be a mistake to test if he was bluffing.

Vermouth suspected, he knew. But she would hold her tongue, at least for the time being. Kir, it seemed, had caught his drift- but he left the decision of what to tell the FBI up to her. Since he hadn't given her any details, and there was no reason for her to suspect _this_ kind of outcome, there was no reason to believe that it put Kudo's own secret at risk.

Slipping his personal phone back into his jacket pocket, Paikaru hummed to himself as he stepped into the elevator, pressing the button for his floor. The room was paid for in cash, of course, under a fake name that the Organization didn't know about. After chasing after traitors for so long, he'd learned to pick up on their mistakes- and to not make any of the same ones.

Still, he was taking one hell of a gamble here.

But given that his guest had won her own, one that had far lower odds at that... well, at the very least, he could put out just as much risk as he had given her. Not that she'd appreciate it, not from the way that she had been treating him thus far- even if he _had_ basically handed her the answer to one of the lingering mysteries that had been on her mind. That was probably the other reason she was listening to him for now- the promise that he would give her more information, once they returned to Japan.

Given her own current situation... he wasn't surprised that it was more than enough to help buy the rest of her silence.

Jodie Starling no longer existed in this world. That was the truth. In the same way that Kudo Shinichi and Miyano Shiho no longer existed in the world, Jodie Starling had disappeared from it. In the end, it was the method he could think of, that might end with her life being spared- even if he was gambling on a one percent chance.

Only time would tell if it had actually paid off.

"Oh, sorry, did I keep ya waitin' long?" With a bright grin, Paikaru closed the hotel door behind him, making out the click of the auto-lock activating behind him. "I hope ya kept yer end of the deal, _Jodie_ - _sensei_."


	15. In Doubt

**AN** : Here I am, back with the next chapter, and also back from vacation! I had mostly a good time, if anyone is wondering. I was hoping to get this out yesterday, actually, but then I decided to completely change the direction of it halfway through, and ended up having to rewrite it from scratch, so... that's a thing. Pretty pleased with the end result though!

As always, thanks for reading, and leave a review if you can, I'd really appreciate it! Until next time!

* * *

 **Black Echo**

 **Chapter Fifteen**

 **In Doubt**

* * *

Waking up in the body of a child was, suffice to say, not a turn of events that she had been expecting.

In that matter, she was apparently alone. She'd been greeted with breakfast and a smile, and nary a word of apology from the young man who had tried to kill her not so long ago. Were it not for the fact that Hattori Heiji had no reason to be there, she might have even convinced herself that she had seen wrong, that she had made a mistake back then.

But she hadn't.

The high school detective of the west, Hattori Heiji, and Vermouth's loyal dog, Paikaru- they were one and the same. There was no denying it, not when it was right in front of her. Especially not when it marked his face, in the form of the scar her own bullet had left on his left cheek.

Fell out of a tree, her foot.

Nor was she able to deny the fact that her form was currently that of a child, though that, she wished she very much could. Seeing a face reflected in the mirror that she hadn't seen in nearly twenty years... it was enough to send a shiver down her spine. She wasn't sure what was worse, really- the fact that she was currently at the mercy of a member of the Organization, or the realization that she might very well have to repeat puberty all over again.

At least this solved one mystery- or two of them, rather.

Edogawa Conan and Haibara Ai.

If they weren't nearly so young as they looked, then many things could be explained. She had always wondered about it- about how unusually clever and quick-witted Conan was for a boy his age, how strangely at ease he seemed to be when it came to dealing with such high stakes. Though she had only ever had the chance to see him once, from afar, she'd eat her hat if his true identity didn't turn out to be that high school detective, Kudo Shinichi.

For a moment, she wondered if perhaps Ran knew, if she was aware that the one that she always seemed to be missing was right by her side, the entire time. Very quickly, she realized that was highly unlikely- not only was he keeping his true identity a secret from the FBI, but he was also hiding it from his own childhood friend.

He wasn't the only one, of course- the child that didn't fit. She had wondered why the little red riding hood girl from the bus jacking incident bore such a strong resemblance to the woman in Vermouth's photograph, but now it would appear that she had her answer. To think that there was a member of the Organization right underneath their noses the entire time- or a _former_ one, rather.

No, that statement still held true, she supposed. There had been a member of the Organization right under their noses the entire time. For a period, they had even suspected him of such a thing, but had absolved him of such suspicions, deciding that the only connection he bore to them was nothing more than a mere blood relation, and one that he didn't even appear to know of, at that.

They had been wrong, and she was paying dearly for it now.

Though perhaps not so much as she could have been- and it was the could have been that made her willing to listen to this young man. She wasn't certain what to expect from him, now that his true colors were out in the open, but it hadn't been this. Were it not for the cold edge behind his smile, she could have sworn that nothing had changed.

She wondered if acting was something that Vermouth had taught him, and wondered too if perhaps that Hattori Heiji that she had spoken with thus far was nothing more than an act. The only thing that cast that into doubt was Edogawa Conan himself- no matter how skilled the actor, she doubted that anyone could be so perfect that he would never notice them slip.

That he didn't know of this at all, was something that very quickly became apparent to her. Were he to...

"Why spare me?"

"I didn't." The ease with which he confessed to that was downright unnerving, the smile with which he said it only making the dissonant feeling all the worse. "By all rights, ya should be dead right now. I gambled on the one percent chance that ya wouldn't."

"Why?" Jodie found herself asking, trying not push past the strange sound of her own voice. He wasn't surprised by this at all- he _knew_ , in other words. Though if he had learned it from the boy himself, or perhaps his master, she could not say- but her instincts leaned her towards the former.

"Cause I didn't want ta kill ya."

The statement was so simple, and yet she honestly found it hard to believe. He'd shown no such qualms in killing anyone else- so what was it about her that made her special? Did he want information? No, if that was the case, there was no need to try and poison her. Not that she would ever talk anyways, but if it were merely information that he wanted, he wouldn't have to resort to such a measure.

"You've killed three other people in this country alone." Jodie stated plainly. "Why is it that you didn't want to kill me?"

"That's somethin' I'll save fer a later date." Rising to his feet, Heiji- or rather, she supposed it would be more fitting to refer to him as _Paikaru_ at the moment- merely grinned. "Fer the moment, I need ta figure out how ta get ya back ta Japan. Can't be usin' Jodie Starling's passport fer someone that looks like they're fresh out of third grade."

Crinkling her nose, wondering if she really looked that _young_ , Jodie couldn't help but narrow her eyes nonetheless. "You sound as if you expect me to just go along with you, Hattori-kun."

"I do." Rubbing the back of his neck, Paikaru's grin didn't falter. "After all, it would be pretty bad if that old man Gin found out that Akai Shuichi was still alive, wouldn't it? If ya don't want somethin' like that ta happen, fer the moment, you should just do what I say, without compliant."

His words alone were more than enough to make her blood run cold, but it was the smile on his face that sealed the deal. If she had any lingering doubts that someone so young could possibly be involved with _them_ , she found that they were gone now. "That's blackmail."

"Eh, murder by itself gets a little borin' after awhile. Thought I'd try an' spice it up a little." There was a pause there, his grin faltering for what seemed to be the first time, an expression of almost vague disappointment touching his face. "That was a joke, in case ya missed it."

"Not much of one."

* * *

"I wouldn't call blackmailing me much of a deal."

If her short tone bothered him any, he didn't let it show on his face, instead keeping his grin firmly planted on it. It was that same good nature that factored into her decision to rule him out of the suspect pool in the first place- foolish of her, really. It hadn't been the only reason, of course. The more clear it became to her that Edogawa Conan was no friend of Vermouth's, the more clear it became that anyone he allied himself with was unlikely to have any connection to _them_.

That too, had been her mistake.

Perhaps the others would have been able to see through him more clearly than she, but aside from her, the only other investigator who had actually met the young man directly was Camel. He hadn't even been informed that Hattori Heiji had ever been under suspicion in the first place, seeing as he had arrived here long after such doubts had been cleared.

"Eh, semantics." Pulling out a chair and flopping back on it, Paikaru merely shrugged his shoulders. "Ya did keep it, didn't ya? I won't be sayin' a single word ta ya otherwise."

"I did." Jodie said, folding her arms in front of her chest, wondering if the tight frown on her face was going to become a permanent fixture at this rate. "Mostly because I'm interested in finding out _why_ it is that you know something like that in the first place, Hattori-kun. Who was it that told you?"

"Nobody really told me." Paikaru said. "I just kind of figured it out on my own. I do keep tabs on what that kid does, ya know, it's kind of my job."

"On whose orders?" There were actually any number of questions that she wanted to ask about his relationship with Edogawa Conan, but for the moment, that one would suffice. "I would have thought the Organization would have more interest in Mouri Kogoro, seeing as they've already targeted him once before."

"They are." Paikaru admitted. "Officially, he's the one that I'm keepin' tabs on. Well, ya've probably figured out by now that the guy has no idea we actually exist. My job is also ta keep them from realizin' that much."

"That sounds awfully contradictory." Jodie stated plainly, leveling her gaze with him. It was harder to do now that she basically only came up to his waist, but the fact that he was seated made it a bit easier. "Vermouth is the one pulling your strings, isn't she?"

"Hey now, I'll have ya know I don't got no strings!" Placing a hand against his chest, allowing an expression of vague offense to cross his face, Paikaru watched as her eyes merely narrowed. He didn't think convincing her was going to be easy- she knew full well that he was someone capable of killing others, after all.

But if anything, what really would make things difficult were his connections to Vermouth. He hadn't heard about it in great detail, but he knew enough to know that she and Jodie had a history, stretching back to a time well before he was even born. As long as she was under the impression that Vermouth was the one behind his actions, she probably wouldn't ever fully believe anything coming out of his mouth, even if it was the truth.

Admittedly, not all of it would be. He'd rather avoid telling her that there was an antidote, however temporary, that would cure her condition. If Jodie Starling were to appear after he had told Gin that she was dead, it would be the end of the road for him.

Vermouth suspected, he knew that much- but it was for that reason that he had chosen this method. If the Organization were to discover that someone who had been poisoned by Apotoxin had shrunk, instead of died, they would start to look more closely at those whose deaths hadn't been quickly confirmed. And if they were to do that...

It was possible that they would learn that Kudo was still alive. Since she didn't want that, she would keep her silence, for the time being. Granted, if she actually managed to find her, she was likely to just kill her herself, in order to erase the liability that she created, so he wasn't quite in a hurry to involve her in this any further.

"The only one behind my actions is me." Paikaru told her plainly, dropping his hand. "Don't think I'm involved with _them_ because I want ta be. Given the chance, I'd be done with them if I could, but I don't have that luxury."

"You could just consult your father for help." Jodie noted. "Unless he's involved with them as well."

"He's not." His reply came a bit too quickly, and Paikaru could only flinch inwardly- that had probably given away a bit more than he had wanted to. "That old man of mine has nothin' ta do with this. Besides, it's not like he's some kinda miracle worker. The only thing tellin' him would do is put him in danger, provided he didn't just disown me on the spot fer bein' such an idiot."

"It's not like we're blood related anyways." Leaning back in his chair, Paikaru knitted his fingers together behind his head, gaze darting towards the ceiling. "Cuttin' me out of the family would be simple, since I was never really a member of it anyways."

"So you're aware of that." With a slight sigh, Jodie felt a bit of the tension wash out of her shoulders. She wasn't fully ready to accept the idea that his reputation for loyalty to the Organization might not be as true as it seemed at first glance, but at the very least, she was willing to hear him out.

At his core, he was still a teenage boy, after all. Still, she just wasn't going to blindly accept what she was told either- after all, the one who had likely molded him was none other than Vermouth. If that was woman, creating a puppet who could show a variety of faces would be simple. If she allowed herself to fall for a mere mask of a traitor, she could put the whole operation at risk.

Well, at the very least, she believed what she had to say about Hattori Heizo. That answer had been too quick, too sharp, to be something that was practiced.

"What, so ya knew about that too?" Dropping his gaze back down, Paikaru quirked a brow. "I'm amazed that I got this far without havin' my cover blown, if ya knew that much."

"You were on the list of suspects, originally, entirely because of that." Jodie started plainly, carefully gauging how much she should tell him about this. "You and your father, for that matter. You should thank Conan-kun, really. It was your ties to him that got you off of it in the first place."

"I'll add that ta the list." Closing his eyes, Paikaru unlinked his fingers, getting to his feet again. Though she controlled it well, he didn't miss the way that Jodie flinched as he passed by her- not that he could blame her. Right now, not only was she unarmed, but she was also much shorter than she was used to. He probably wouldn't like it either.

Tucking his hands into his pockets, Paikaru drew in a long breath, trying to think of what to say. Though she appeared to be willing to listen, as he thought, she wasn't going to trust him that easily. For that, he couldn't blame her either- she'd seen enough to know just what it was that Paikaru was capable of, enough to cast whatever he had to say now into doubt.

After all, to any outsider, he really did look like the Organization's loyal dog.

"...it's not like I _want_ ta be foolin' him like this, ya know."

"Conan-kun, you mean?" Jodie asked, turning on her heel. With his back facing her, she could only wonder how it was that the boy in question hadn't recognized it's figure instantly. They were friends after all, so he'd had plenty of chance to see such a sight.

Perhaps that was entirely why he hadn't, though. As clever as he was, even someone like Edogawa Conan- or Kudo Shinichi, rather- wasn't perfect. If he truly believed that Heiji was his friend, it was to be expected that he wouldn't want to believe the truth, even if it was staring him right in the face.

No, perhaps there was already a part of him that suspected the truth, and simply didn't want to accept it. When she thought back onto his behavior, she could see it- traces of apprehension, of doubt. To have someone that you trusted turn out to be part of the very thing that had mostly tried to kill him, if their shared state was any indication, wasn't any easy thing to accept.

"That's right." For a moment, the urge to remove his mask filled his thoughts, before he forced it back. It would make speaking to Jodie easier, to be sure, but he couldn't afford to let his guard slip just yet. There were still things he needed to do after this, and now, more than ever, he needed to ensure that there were no chinks to see through.

"Ya probably already figured it out, but that kid doesn't know." Paikaru stated plainly. "An' that kid is part of the reason as ta why I can't allow ya ta return ta yer comrades right now. The other reason is, well... yer supposed ta be dead, after all."

Shrugging his shoulders, he turned on his heel, his usual grin lapsing onto his face with ease. "If the Organization finds out yer alive, it would cause all sorts of problems, fer both me an' him alike. I gambled with ya, sensei, an' even though ya won yer life, I can't exactly just let ya walk free."

There was also no way he could allow someone who knew the truth to contact Kudo, not if there was anything that he could do to prevent it. It was already out of his hands so far as Amuro was concerned, but as long as he hovered the threat of exposing him over his head, he was fairly confident that he would hold his tongue.

"So you expect me to be your obedient prisoner, then?" Jodie asked. As she thought, leveling her gaze with him when she was this small was no easy feat, but she wasn't about to let it stop her. If Conan, who was quite a good deal smaller than her still, could do it, then she could as well. "I can't say that I find the idea appealing, especially since in all honesty, I don't really trust you."

It was easy to say that he was interested in working against the Organization, and another thing entirely to prove it. Even the fact that her own life had been spared wasn't quite enough to get him in her good graces- from the sound of it, the chances that she would survive the poison that she had been given were practically nothing.

"Eh, that's fair. Can't say I blame ya." Leaning back against the wall, Paikaru folded his arms in front of his chest, his grin only growing. "After all, bein' a traitor is apparently in my blood. It's no damn wonder I can't manage ta pick a side an' stick with it. Tryin' though."

"And which side _are_ you on, Hattori-kun?"

"That's easy." Paikaru told her. "My own."

* * *

Jodie Starling was dead.

In the end, the one he had learned of her death from was Agent Camel. Though he had been shaken by the news, he couldn't claim that he hadn't been expecting it- ever since he had learned that they had lost contact with her, he had been expecting to hear news like this. While no body had been found, when it came to the Organization, that wasn't exactly reason to hope.

Jodie Starling was dead. Her corpse hadn't been found, but it had been all but confirmed. In the exact words of Kir, she no longer existed in this world.

She had accepted this job knowing the risks it carried, but even though he knew that, in the end, he couldn't accept her death so easily. In the end, he'd grown fond of her, to the point that seeing her reaction to learning of Shuichi's own supposed death had shaken his resolve to conceal the truth from her. In the fight against the Organization, she was an indispensable ally- so to think that they had lost her to them...

It wasn't easy to accept.

Frustrating, really.

Though Kir hadn't stated it outright, it wasn't hard to guess who the one who had killed her likely was. She had reported as much herself, Jodie had, that the Organization was one step ahead of her there. His was a codename that was starting to make his skin crawl, especially now, that he had struck so heavy a blow against them.

He might have spared her back at the hotel, valuing making an escape above killing one of the agents that was proving to be a problem for them, but it would appear that none of that mercy was there this time. He wondered if he had killed her with that same easy, amicable nature with which he had spoken to him with, or if that was something he reserved for when he wasn't killing people.

Either way, he would definitely never forgive him.

Jodie's death wasn't the only matter that was troubling him- if anything, it had brought to the forefront something else that had been bothering him. It appeared as if he were the last to learn of her death- he hadn't been contacted about it at all by either James or Subaru, which was rather unusual. He'd had to hear about it secondhand, from Agent Camel, when he had contacted him to find out if they had heard anything about her.

Was it just because they thought he was a child? No, that couldn't be it. After all, they had told him about Shuichi's supposed death, and they had told him that they had lost contact with her. It was possible that they had just been so busy that it had slipped their minds, but...

Something was bothering him.

When he had asked Agent Camel if he could speak with James, he had been told that the man was out at the moment. Perhaps that wasn't so strange- one of their number had just been killed, after all. It was only natural that he would be busy right now, tending to the situation, and trying to verify the claim that Kir had sent them.

There was a small, tiny part of him that hoped it wasn't true- but he knew such a hope was pointless, and would only hurt him in the end. It was better that he accept it, so he could move forward, and think about what it was that he needed to do from here on out. A person was dead, for real this time, and that changed the situation drastically.

It wasn't as if he didn't understand just how serious the situation was. He'd always known. If anything, Jodie's death had only just reinforced how dangerous it was. As his thoughts drifted back towards Paikaru's smiling face, he felt a shudder run down his spine, once more cursing himself for having let him get away back then. If he hadn't, then Jodie wouldn't be...

But the past was the past, and he couldn't change it. The only thing he could do was learn from it- and learn from it, he would. The next time they crossed paths, he wouldn't let him go.

Both for Jodie's sake, and his own sake as well.

* * *

"This is rotten."

If there was _one_ thing that she had come to understand in regards to Hattori Heiji, it was that he had never shopped for his own groceries before. She had actually noticed that over a month ago, but at the time, she had concluded that it was either a fluke, or he just simply didn't care enough to make sure that all of the produce he brought her was actually fresh. It was only very recently that she was coming to understand that not only was it not on purpose, it was simply because he had no understanding of how shopping for groceries actually worked.

So he really _was_ just a teenage boy after all. She didn't know if the thought comforted her or disturbed her.

"What, it looks fine ta me!" Furrowing his brows together, Heiji narrowed his eyes. "Besides, there's no way the store would sell rotten fruit, right?"

"They would, if it slipped by their notice." Jodie told him, setting down the orange on the table. "Something with this many soft spots can't possibly be anywhere near fresh. Throw it out."

"Yer sure one bossy prisoner." Taking the orange from the table, Heiji frowned, giving it a bit of a squish. "It's just a little soft, it's not like eatin' it will kill ya."

"Then, why don't you eat it, if it's so fresh?" Jodie asked, folding her arms in front of her.

Taking one look at her expression, Heiji averted his eyes, giving the orange another squish as he did so. Somehow, getting lectured about rotten fruit by a child stung. "...no, I sense I've made a mistake of some kind."

"Good." Giving him a curt nod of her head, Jodie watched as he tossed the orange in trash. "And? I suppose it's fruitless to ask if I can leave here today as well."

"No can do, sensei." Giving her a rather helpless expression, Heiji shook his head, only vaguely wondering if that was some kind of pun. "Like I said, I just can't let ya wander free. Besides, it's not a bad deal, what I've given ya, right? Ya've got a roof over yer head, a place ta sleep, an' even runnin' water? What more could ya ask fer, really?"

"My freedom." Jodie's tone was sharp, but if it did any good, he didn't let it show. "Failing that, electric lights would be nice."

"I'm afraid it's a no go on either one of those." Shrugging his shoulders, Heiji tucked his hands into his pockets, casting a glance towards the window. It, like all the others, had been bolted shut. Even if one wanted to escape through them, this was the fourth floor- trying to jump down from the distance in such a small body would be a suicide move.

The only natural light in the apartment came from the skylight, which would be impossible for her to reach, even at full size. The electricity in the apartment still worked, but in order to prevent anyone from noticing that someone was living here, he had disabled all of the lights. Even with the small, battery powered lanterns that he had set up in the place, it made for a rather dismal atmosphere- it was hard not to feel like a prisoner in such a place.

It wasn't really a lie to claim that she was one. She was locked in here, after all. In the end, she hadn't walked into it of her own volition either- he hadn't given her that choice. If he felt bad about it, it was only because her current appearance was that of a child- and while he had done all sorts of things for the Organization, thankfully, he'd never had to go so far as to harm one of them before.

"Sorry, sensei, but I have my own circumstances. As much as I'd like ta let ya join yer allies again, I can't do that." Heiji told her, his grin steadily becoming more forced. "It wasn't easy, ya know, fixin' up the place like this on such short notice. I'd prepared it ahead of time in the event things went south, but I never thought I'd end up usin' it fer somethin' like this."

"So you expected that you would have to go into hiding one day?" Arching her brows, Jodie couldn't help but be a bit interested in that. While his own actions made it hard for her to believe his claims that he didn't consider himself an ally of the Organization, certainly not to the point his reputation might otherwise indicate, there were still times when she found herself almost believing him.

Perhaps it wasn't so much a matter that he was lying to her, as it was a matter of him not being trustworthy. If there was one thing that she had come to understand about Hattori Heiji- otherwise known as Paikaru- over the course of the month, it was that his motives were actually rather simple to understand. Though she didn't know the circumstances behind it, it was clear that he had dug himself deeply into a situation in which he could not get out of, at least not under his own power. To that end, he had dedicated himself to doing the one thing he knew he could do- which was to protect himself, and those he cared about.

And that was precisely what made him so dangerous.

He had said it, after all, in his own words- the side he was on was his own. Were the Organization to make him an offer that would allow him to keep those he cared about safe, she didn't doubt that she would take it. If that offer included throwing her, and everyone else who was involved with trying to take down the Organization under the bus, he probably wouldn't even hesitate.

Everyone except for Edogawa Conan, that was. His deeply rooted desire to keep him safe appeared to be something that he had in common with Vermouth, though she suspected that saying that much out loud probably would not end very well.

"Ya might say that." Rubbing the back of his neck, Heiji admitted that much. "Let me tell ya, it wasn't easy, acquirin' this whole place. I can do it if I want ta, but I really don't care fer all the work that goes into what basically amounts ta property fraud. Doin' it without the Organization's resources was even more of a pain the ass."

"Well, whatever the case, I guess the place came in handy in the end." Heiji said, adjusting the strap of his bag. "Unless there's anythin' that ya need from me, sensei, I'll be takin' my leave. I'll drop by around this time next week, with some more supplies. I'll try an' not buy any rotted fruit this time."

"In that case, I'll hold you to it."

* * *

"Did you get a mail, Subaru-san?"

"It was nothing important." Tucking his cellphone back away, Subaru merely gave Conan a placid smile. "James is in the middle of trying to make arrangements for Jodie's burial, that's all."

"Not that there's anything to bury." Conan found himself grateful for the shine of his glasses, for it concealed some of his expression. He was starting to get the feeling that there was very much something going on behind his back- but as to what it was, he couldn't guess.

He doubted that it had anything to do with Jodie, least of all that she was actually alive. Not only did he know that Jodie would never agree on keeping such a thing hidden from him, there was no way such a thing could be true. It was only through the Professor's gadgets and the assistance of Kir that they had been able to fake Shuichi's own death- the circumstances around Jodie's would have made it nearly impossible.

To have two Organization members in a row turn out to be moles was too much good luck- he had very little doubt that Paikaru was not the type who would betray them.

"Even so, he insisted on having something to mark her grave with." Subaru told him- it was the truth, after all. Although that wasn't what the mail had been about, James was in the middle of trying to make arrangements in regards to that. "Apparently it's quite the hassle."

"Sounds like it would be." Conan said. Though the temptation to just come out and ask was there, he doubted it would get him anywhere. Having worked alongside Subaru to keep his true identity a secret, he could sense when he was going to remain silent about something. While he didn't like the idea of things being kept from him, it wasn't as if he weren't doing the same- and he was in no mood to try and exchange secrets.

His mood, at least, was actually somewhat better than it had been lately. It was hard not to be in good spirits, not when Heiji and Kazuha would be coming over that weekend. Judging from the fact that the visit seemed to be Kazuha's idea, and from the cheerful tone in Ran's voice when she had told him about it, he got the feeling that it was Kazuha who was going to make a move this time.

He could only hope that she had better luck than Heiji, when it came to matters of love. After everything that had gone wrong lately, he had to admit that he'd really like to see something go right for a change- though he wasn't willing to bet on it either, not with those two.

He was trying not to dwell too much on the fact that it would be the first time he would be seeing Heiji in person in a month. Once he had returned from his trip, he had started calling him again, for all the world as if he had never stopped. While he hadn't forgotten that period, with things back to normal, he had found to his great relief that it was much harder to cast doubt on his friend.

He didn't want to in the first place. It wasn't as if they even made any sense- if Heiji really had some kind of connection to _them_ , then he would have been dead a long time ago. They were nothing more than the product of his own paranoia, of that he was almost certain. He'd known that it had been getting worse lately, given the way he reacted whenever fake eyes were mentioned, but he hadn't thought that it was getting _this_ bad.

Maybe finally being able to talk to him face to face would be able to banish them completely. Besides, there was no way that _Hattori Heiji_ , of all people, would be capable of doing something like that- of killing someone that he knew was an important ally to him.

"For all of that, you seem to be in a better mood yourself." Subaru noted, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Did something good happen?"

"Ah no, it's nothing important." Conan said quickly. Come to think of it, Subaru had never met them- Heiji and Kazuha, that was. Somehow, he got the idea that it was best to keep it that way. "Some friends are just coming to visit this weekend, that's all."

"Oh? Friends, is it?" Subaru asked, arching his brows. "Well I'm glad to hear that, Conan-kun. You don't have to worry about things here. There's not that much to report right now in regards to the investigation, I'm afraid to say."

"You'll let me know if there _is_ something though, right?" Locking eyes with him, Conan decided that it wouldn't hurt to let Subaru know that he was on to him. If they really were doing something behind his back, then he was going to find out.

"Of course." Not missing the implication that was carried in his gaze, Subaru merely smiled. "As soon as we know something concrete, I'll be sure to pass that information on to you."

"Thank you, Subaru-san." Not missing the irony of thanking someone for excluding him, Conan somehow managed to keep that from coming out in his voice. "I had better get back, otherwise Ran-neechan might worry about me."

"Well we can't have that." Subaru told him, nodding his head. Watching as Conan gathered together his things, he only let his faint smile drop once he was certain he was gone. Now that it was clear that he suspected that something was being kept from him, he couldn't be too careful.

Were he to be presented with solid proof, he knew that no matter how close they were, he would have to believe him. But without that, voicing his suspicions might only damage their partnership- and that was not a risk that they could take, especially when there was a chance that it might also allow an Organization member to slip through their fingertips.

If Hattori Heiji truly was Paikaru, they couldn't afford to let him escape. In light of recent circumstances, that was more true than ever.

Perhaps they would be getting some soon. Pulling out his cellphone, Subaru glanced down at the message that James had sent him once more.

 _The meeting has been arranged._

Well, perhaps there was always the option of bringing him to the proof. If he told him that they had arranged a meeting with someone that they suspected to one be part of the Organization, there was no doubt that he would take the bait. From there, well...

Familial resemblance would probably take care of the rest.


	16. Bitter Irony

**AN** : Hello naughty children, it's mood whiplash time! I can't say that I didn't enjoy writing this chapter, but good god, is it also painful. Properly brace yourself, because we're in for quite the ride this time around! As always, those of you who read and review, I really must thank you!

Until next time!

* * *

 **Black Echo**

 **Chapter Sixteen**

 **Bitter Irony**

* * *

"Ya seem ta be in awfully good mood today, Kazuha."

"Well of course I am!" Kazuha almost chirped, beaming from ear to ear. "We're goin' ta see Ran-chan an' Conan-kun today! Ah, it feels like it's been forever since we went ta Tokyo ta see 'em~!"

That was because it _was_ , Heiji almost wanted to say. But since he didn't want to give Kazuha reason to suspect that he had been avoiding them on purpose, he kept that to himself. To be honest, given the choice, he would have avoided him for awhile longer yet, but since Kazuha was the one who had arranged the trip, it would be strange if he didn't go.

Well, who knew how much longer he had to just have fun with the kid. He might as well enjoy it, so long as he had the chance.

Since he was only planning to be gone for the span of the weekend, he hadn't let Jodie know that he was heading to Tokyo. He only swung by her place- her _prison_ , he supposed was more accurate- once a week, to drop off food and other supplies, so it wasn't as if she would notice that he was gone anyways. He couldn't deny that the idea of going so far away from her made him nervous, but he also had no reason to suspect that she'd found any way out, nor that anyone had found where she was.

As far as he knew, the FBI really did believe that she was dead. Kir had told him that much- though at first, she had really wanted to tell them that there was a chance that she might actually still be alive. But seeing as how that might end up rather badly for him should such information leak out, it was better for the both of them to pretend that she was as dead as they came.

For the moment, everything seemed to be going well. Almost _too_ well, Heiji thought to himself, allowing a frown to cross his face. He would have expected Vermouth to confront him directly about Jodie sooner or later, but either she was really favoring the later, or she had no plans to. It made it rather hard for him to settle down.

At the very least, the Organization had given him a bit of a break- after so many missions back to back, namely ones that involved him having to kill people, they had finally gotten off his back. If they'd cut of contact, he'd be more worried, but in the month since he'd returned home from Korea, they'd asked for his services a few times- just not for anything that involved him doing any killing.

That was the way he preferred it, so he didn't really have any complaints. As far as he saw it, by ridding them of one of the FBI agents that had been troubling them, he'd proven his loyalty to them once again- or to most of them. He doubted that old man was convinced, but he was the type who was never really satisfied.

Troublesome bastard.

"But what put ya in such a sour mood today, Heiji?" Kazuha's voice broke his thoughts, and it was only now that he realized that he had basically zoned out. She must have been telling him something more, but whatever it was, he hadn't heard a word of it. "I thought ya would have been more excited ta see Conan-kun again."

"I am!" Heiji insisted, it only tasting a bit like a lie. "I just don't like it when _a certain someone_ makes plans behind my back without consultin' me first! It's _my_ weekend too, Kazuha, what if I had somethin' else ta do?"

"What, like another case that ya won't tell me anythin' about?" Kazuha asked, narrowing her eyes. "An' here I thought ya were gettin' better about that sort of thing Heiji, an' yet here ya are, fallin' into yer old bad habits."

"Ya don't need ta hear each an' every little thing about them, _idiot_." Heiji said, narrowing his eyes in return. As he thought, she wasn't letting this go that easily. Stubborn girl. "I thought ya didn't even like 'em in the first place, so I don't see why yer puttin' up such a fuss."

"It's not that I don't like 'em, I just don't like gettin' dragged into them when I'm just tryin' ta have fun!" Kazuha told him, folding her arms in front of her chest. She hadn't exactly meant to pick a fight with him, but this Heiji was still better than the frowning one from before. "Though I suppose since we're headin' ta see Conan-kun an' all, I'd better brace myself fer havin' corpses rain down from the skies. The two of ya really do have bad luck!"

"Sorry fer havin' bad luck." Heiji said, averting his gaze from her. "I thought that charm of yers was supposed ta ward that sort of thing off."

"It does!" Kazuha insisted. "Yer bad luck's just so strong, it can only do so much!"

She kind of did have a point there, Heiji had to admit, and the fact that she had realized this much was plain as day on her face. That smug, triumphant grin of hers, the kind she wore whenever she knew that she had won an argument... well, honestly, even though it pissed him off, he didn't exactly hate it.

After all, it _was_ basically due to his own bad luck that had gotten him into this whole mess to begin with. If it weren't for that... maybe he really would just be a normal teenager, going to meet with his friends. Maybe not a detective, like he had wanted, but at the very least, he wouldn't be someone with blood on his hands. But at the end of the day, his pride wouldn't allow him to admit that much.

"My luck's not _that_ bad."

"Yeah, an' Ran-chan's luck isn't actually _that_ good."

"Shut up, _idiot_."

* * *

"Kazuha-chan, Hattori-kun! Over here, over here!"

"Ran-chan!" Though she was already in a good mood, Kazuha somehow still managed to perk right up upon hearing her friend's voice. "Ya came ta pick us up? An' with Conan-kun too! I thought we were gonna meet at the agency, like usual?"

"That was the plan, but Conan-kun wanted to come to the station to meet the two of you." Ran told her, resting a hand on Conan's head, casting a smile down towards him. "As I thought, he really did miss Hattori-kun."

"What, ya missed me, kiddo?" Beaming from ear to ear, Heiji swallowed back all of his apprehensions and fears, as if they had never even been there. It was hard to be worried when the source of it was currently being pampered by his Neechan- and trying and failing to pretend that he didn't like it, to boot.

The glower that Kudo shot at him, he thought, was totally worth it.

It was fine. Things were still fine. He still didn't suspect anything. Just a little, the noose around his neck seemed to loosen, giving him more room to breath. He didn't let it show on his face, instead grinning all the wider as he knelt down in front of him, taking his turn to ruffle the shrunken detective's hair.

"Glad ta hear that, _Conan-kun_ ~! Sometimes ya can be awfully _cold_ ta yer _niichan_ here~!"

"Who said anything about you, Heiji-niichan?." Conan asked, sending him a look that told him he was going to pay him back for this later. "I was just excited to see Kazuha-neechan!"

"Oh, were ya?" Kazuha butted in, sending Heiji a rather smug look. "Looks I'm the favorite this time, Heiji!"

"Nah, he's just sayin' that cause he's shy! The two of us are best buddies, right?" Heiji said, withdrawing his hand before the pint sized detective seriously considered trying to break it. Rising back to his feet, he tucked his hands into his pockets, still beaming down at Conan. "Right, Ku- _kiddo_?"

"Yes! I love Heiji-niichan!" With a big smile on his face that Heiji could tell right away was fake, but not for any reasons that would strike fear into his heart, Conan's words nevertheless stung. Though he was mostly teasing him, there was real fondness behind those words- and he could only wonder for much longer he would be able to hear them.

Best to make the most of it while it lasted.

"Then, since we're all here, do you want to eat lunch on our way back to the agency?" Ran asked, glancing between the two of them, her gaze lingering for a moment longer on Kazuha. "I know a good cafe around here."

"That sounds great, Ran-chan!" Kazuha chirped, glancing over towards Heiji. "That's fine with ya right, Heiji?"

"Yeah, it's fine with me." Heiji said, nodding his head. "I was startin' ta get a bit hungry myself, actually, so it's perfect timing, Neechan. We can even make it my treat!"

"No, you don't have to-!" Ran interjected, more than a little surprised by the sudden offer.

"Ya might as well let him." Kazuha chimed in, cutting her off. "Heiji's been on that kind of streak lately. He can get awfully insistent about it too. Never thought that someone could make bein' treated annoyin'."

"Hah? What's wrong with tryin' ta treat my friends a little?" Heiji asked. "I thought ya would be happy about it, since yer always buggin' me ta do it anyways!"

"Now, now, you two." Interjecting before their fight could get too far, Ran glanced between the two of them once more- her gaze this time lingering a bit longer on Heiji. "It doesn't really matter, does it? If Hattori-kun really wants to treat us, I suppose I can't really say no. Right, Conan-kun?"

"Yes!" Conan said, nodding his head. If he was bothered by the sudden offer, it didn't show any on his face- but another emotion surely did. "I'm looking forward to it, Heiji-niichan!"

Well, though he couldn't claim that he wasn't glad that things seemed to be going as they usually did, to be honest, Heiji could do without that sort of face. That bastard, he was seriously going to take advantage of his generosity, wasn't he? Some great detective he was!

But well... it really was better, this way.

"Then, don't hold back on my account, Conan-kun!" Heiji told him, not even needing to worry if the strain that he was feeling was showing on his face or not. He'd been fooling them for this long already, after all, no amount of extra pressure was going to break his facade that easily. "Eat yer fill, an' then some!"

He got the feeling the guy would do it, too.

* * *

"So, what's up with this newfound habit of treating people?"

"Ya got a lot of nerve, askin' me that after ya help yerself ta quite the meal on my money." Heiji noted, arching a brow. Well, he'd kind of expected him to take this chance to ask him about it, and it looked as if he were right on the money. If only Kazuha and Ran would hurry up in the bathroom- what was taking them so long anyways? "That Neechan not feedin' ya enough anymore, Kudo? It's not like yer doin' much growin' anymore."

The sour look he received in turn was worth it, Heiji decided.

"You're trying to avoid the subject." Conan noted, deciding to brush of his comment.

"I'm not tryin' ta avoid it." Heiji lied, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Can't I just wanna do somethin' nice every once in awhile? Ya think ya'd appreciate it a little bit more."

"You're not the type to treat people without some kind of other motive." Conan noted. "The fact that even Kazuha-chan thinks it's strange is proof enough of that. So? What's the cause?"

There was no way he could tell him the actual cause- that because his time with them was probably growing more limited, he couldn't help but want to spoil those that he actually cared about. There was a layer of guilt to it, too, as if he somehow hoped that by being extra nice, it would do something to wash away his lies. It wouldn't, and he knew that much, but he couldn't help but indulge on the impulses anyways.

"There's really no reason." Heiji told him, leaning back in his chair, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Yer just overthinkin' things, Kudo. What? Have ya not had enough cases lately ta satisfy ya? Sorry, but I didn't bring any with me today."

He couldn't decide if the fact that he was asking was something he should worry about or not. It could be normal- he was always the type to pick up on changes in behavior, and worry about them, after all. The fact that he was asking about it didn't necessarily mean anything, but on the other hand... it didn't necessarily mean _nothing_.

But well... if he really was on to him, Heiji got the feeling that his behavior would have much different than it was. For the most, he was acting just as he usually did, and though he knew from that cute child act of his that Kudo could be pretty good at playing a role, he didn't think he was quite _that_ good.

"Am I not allowed to be worried about my friend?" Conan asked. He couldn't shake the feeling that Heiji was trying to doge the question, but it seemed to be a bit of a silly thing to pursue. At the very least, that's was what he was mostly thinking- though he didn't want to admit it, even seeing Heiji in person hadn't done all that much to alleviative those vague suspicions that had been brewing in the very back of his head.

In a way, it actually had. He was acting as his usual self, the same friendly idiot who had wormed his way into his life before he knew it. But at the same time... as he thought, he couldn't deny that there was some kind of resemblance between them, however slight. At first, he thought that seeing him in person again might convince him that he had been mistaken, but in truth...

...those two really did have similar body types, didn't they?

No, that line of thought wasn't good. If he went down any further on this path, then it probably would show on his face- and he didn't want that. Besides, there were plenty of people in the world with similar body types- he had his fair share of doppelgangers himself. That guy from Shibuya, and that Okita guy from the Heiji's tournament the previous month- not to mention, that guy could have never even gotten to the starting point if he didn't have a body type that was similar to that of his own.

He really was getting too paranoid for his own good.

"Oh, so yer admitting that?" Heiji asked, a broad grin spreading across his face, leaning over the table to the point where he was almost annoyingly close. "Maybe I should be the one ta ask what's wrong with ya, Kudo."

"Nothing's wrong with me. And you're too close, idiot." Conan noted, all but shoving Heiji's face away, watching as he fell back in his chair with that idiotic grin of his. Honestly, what was wrong with him, still thinking that sort of thing?

"Right, right, I get it. The only one ya want gettin' that close ta ya is Neechan, right?" Heiji asked. At the faint pink tint his cheeks took on, he knew that he had hit his mark, hook, line, and sinker. "She's gonna kill ya though, ya know, once she finds out the truth."

Well, not as much as Kazuha was going to kill him, though. Provided he wasn't _already_ dead at that point- or rather, the both of them, really.

Not able to come up with a proper reply to that, not fully being able to deny that she would, Conan instead turned his gaze away from him. At the very least, it would seem that Heiji hadn't picked up on anything- there was no way, _absolutely no way_ , he could ever let him know what he was thinking. "Shut up."

"I'm right, aren't I?" Heiji asked.

"Are ya teasin' Conan-kun again, Heiji?" Conan could only regard the sound of Kazuha's voice as a small blessing, given it's timing. "Ya shouldn't. Yer supposed ta be the adult here."

"Aw c'mon, it's fine. The kid doesn't mind." Heiji told her, watching as she took a seat next to him, a slight frown on his face as she did so. In spite of her harsh words, there was a slight twinkle to her eyes that hadn't been there when she had left to go to the bathroom, and for a moment, he couldn't help but wonder what that was about.

Well, who knew what it was that girls talked about when they went to the bathroom together. As far as he was concerned, Kazuha's unusually good mood was the least of his worries. Given that she had been on her toes around him for awhile after he'd come back from Korea, he was just thankful that things were falling into how they normally were.

Because while it was true that his current thoughts were filled with worries about Kudo learning the truth, in the end, the one person he dreaded learning about it the most was _Kazuha_. And while she might not be a detective, she was his childhood friend- and as far as he was concerned, she'd already picked up on too much.

That she was in a good mood like this... frankly, he failed to see how it could ever backfire on him.

* * *

"I'm gonna confess!"

"Eh? To Hattori-kun?"

"Who else?" Kazuha asked, planting her hands firmly on her hips. "Of course I mean Heiji, Ran-chan. I've been waitin' on him all this time, but this time, _I'm_ the one who's goin' ta go on the attack!"

"So that's why you asked to come over here so suddenly." At the same time as the dots connected for her, Ran likewise confirmed her own lingering suspicion- that Kazuha hadn't noticed Heiji's past attempts to confess to her at all. "I thought that maybe something was going on, but I see. It's for Hattori-kun."

"Well, it's more fer me than it is fer him." Kazuha said resolutely. "If even the ever absent Kudo-kun managed ta confess ta ya, there's no reason that I should wait fer so long fer someone who's always around."

There was a slight pause then, as Kazuha corrected herself. "Well, _mostly_."

"Has still not...?" Ran asked, not even needing to finish the question to get her answer. It was plain as day on Kazuha's face. "He hasn't, has he."

"Not at all!" Kazuha told him, letting out a long sigh, her hands dropping from her hips. To be honest, she had kind of been wanting to the avoid the topic for day, least she lose her nerve, but... since Ran had asked, the least she could do was open up about it. "I'm tryin' not ta let it bug me, but we had such a good run fer awhile there that I almost completely forget about his bad habits! Ta think that they would start comin' back now, of all times... that guy, what is thinkin'?"

"It bothers you, doesn't it?" Ran asked. "Not knowing what Hattori-kun is thinking."

"It does." Kazuha admitted. "I'm used ta bein' able ta read him as easy a book, but there are times... sometimes it feels like I don't even know the guy anymore." At that, she snorted, shaking her head. "Which is ridiculous! But even so..."

Her shoulders slumping, Kazuha glanced up towards Ran, giving her friend a considering look. Perhaps the bathroom wasn't the best place to speak about things like this, but at the very least, there was no risk that Heiji would overhear. Even _he_ didn't make a habit out of lingering outside of girl's toilets.

"How do ya deal with it, Ran-chan?" Kazuha finally asked. "Kudo-kun not tellin' ya things, I mean."

"To be honest, I'd rather not have to." Ran confessed. "But I also know Shinichi, so in the end, I know that whatever is that he's keeping from me, whatever the reason behind his disappearing act, I know that he has good reason for both. But well... even though I know that, it's not always easy to actually accept it in practice. Even I can't help but get angry at him from time to time."

"Well, seein' as he's been gone fer nearly half a year now, I think ya've got good reason." Kazuha said, shrugging her shoulders. "Sometimes I wonder if I should just ask Heiji about it, but for some reason, I keep gettin' the feelin' that's a bad idea."

"Why?" Ran asked. "If Hattori-kun really is hiding something from you, I can't imagine it's anything that bad."

"Right? I don't understand it myself." Tilting her head, Kazuha let out a sigh. "I know that much. That idiot's not the type ta get himself into anythin' bad, at the very least, not without good reasons. He might have a pretty nasty temper sometimes, but he's not a bad person. I've known him long enough ta know that much."

"It's just that sometimes..." Trailing off a little, Kazuha scratched her cheek, averting her eyes. "No, it's actually nothin'."

There was no way that she could tell Ran that there were moments, however brief, in which it felt as if Heiji was a complete stranger. Not when she didn't even understand it herself.

"But it's because of all that, that I want ta confess this time!" Drawing in a long breath, Kazuha steeled herself once more, chasing away all her negative thoughts. "I want ta make it clear once an' fer all that I want ta be even a bigger part of his life! I love our friendship, Ran-chan, an' I wouldn't want that ta change fer the world, but even so, I want somethin' a bit more than that, ya know?"

And maybe if they were dating, he wouldn't leave her out.

"Yeah, I know." Ran said, nodding her head. She sensed that there was something more that Kazuha had wanted to say, but had decided against- but perhaps it was better not ask. If she wasn't ready to say, she wasn't about to force her. "I know that well. If there's anything that I can do, let me know, and I'll do it for you."

"Thanks, Ran-chan." Kazuha told her, her smile returning to her face. Even with all of his bad habits, even if there was a chance that he might be keeping something from her, it didn't change the fact that she'd fallen in love with the idiot. "Actually, I happen ta have just the place in mind!"

If he wouldn't come to her, she'd just have to come to him!

* * *

"Looks like yer Neechan is callin' ya."

"I can _see_ that, Hattori." Not even sparing his friend so much as a glance, already knowing just what kind of expression he was wearing on his face, Conan let out a long sigh. Well, with the eager way that Ran was trying to summon him by her side, there was no way that guy _wouldn't_ leer at him.

Predictable jerk. Maybe he should go ahead and just tell him straight out that the reason Ran was calling him over was so that he and Kazuha could have some time alone together. Some detective he was, missing something as obvious as that. As he thought, Kazuha _definitely_ had something planned. Her meeting in the bathroom with Ran around lunchtime had been because of that, without a doubt.

A confession, probably. Or at the very least, an attempt. He could only hope that Kazuha's luck was better than that of her childhood friend- otherwise it would remain as that.

...come to think of it, that was odd. He had been so caught up with his worries about Paikaru, that he hadn't noticed it at all up until now, but what had happened to that? Heiji had been so gung-ho about it before, but now, it felt as if confessing to Kazuha was the last thing on his mind.

It almost felt as if he had given up.

But that was strange. It didn't make any sense. He was almost certain that Heiji's feelings for Kazuha hadn't changed at all, so why had stopped? Or was it just that he hadn't made any more attempts while he was around them, and didn't feel the need to report his failures? No, no, if that was the case, they would have heard about it for sure secondhand from Kazuha later, and yet, no such news had emerged. Even if she wasn't aware that he was trying to confess to her, at the very least, she would notice if he was doing something out of the ordinary- especially given Heiji's determination to confess to her properly at a place even more impressive than Big Ben.

And yet, there hadn't been a peep of that from her at all.

Was it because Heiji had been so busy lately, that he didn't have a chance to? No, that couldn't be right. While it was true that a month ago, he was wrapped up in various cases, none of which he knew anything about, he only now dimly realized, the past month had largely been free of such things- or at the very least, the ones that drew him away from Osaka.

Something wasn't right there. It was just a confession, in the end, and yet, for some reason, now that he had realized it, it wouldn't stop bothering him. Out of everything else, why was this one thing sticking out so much to him?

"Conan-kun?" Ran's voice broke through his thoughts, and it was only now that he dimly realized that she had taken his hand. In spite of everything, he found himself turning slightly red at it. "Is something wrong?"

Crap, the last thing he wanted to do was worry Ran.

"Ah, no, it's nothing, Ran-neechan!" Conan said quickly, shaking his head. "Kazuha-neechan is planning on confessing to Heiji-niichan today, isn't she?"

"That's right." Ran said, nodding her head, a bright smile on her face. "That's why we have to root her on, Conan-kun. Will you help me?"

"Sure!" Nodding his head, Conan put a smile on his face. Whatever Heiji's reasons were, he could just ask him about it later. It wasn't as if it were something that he had to keep a secret. Besides, if Kazuha actually managed to pull it off this time, he supposed that in the end, it wouldn't matter anyways.

After all, not even _Heiji_ was so stubborn that he would actually reject her, just because she got there first.

* * *

"What is it that ya want, Kazuha, that's so important ya break up the tour like this?"

"Shut up an' just come with me, idiot." Casting a glance back towards him, Kazuha's brows knotted together. Well, it wasn't as if she was expecting him to come along willingly, given how stubborn he could be, but she didn't expect that she would have to literally take his wrist and half drag him there.

Okay, perhaps _drag_ was a bit of an exaggeration.

"But Kazuha-!" Heiji opened up his mouth to protest, but quickly shut it, not liking the looks of his chances, not judging from that glower she sent back to him. Whatever it was that she had wanted to talk about so suddenly, it didn't seem as if it was something that could wait. With a slight frown, Heiji cast a glance behind him, not missing the way that Ran and Conan were following along behind them, not doing a very good job at concealing their presence.

What was this about? It couldn't be anything serious if those two were tailing behind them like that, but still, what had gotten into Kazuha so suddenly?

Or wait... maybe it _wasn't_ suddenly? Come to think of it, she had been in awfully high spirits all day. At first, he thought that perhaps it really was just because she was that excited to see Ran and Conan again, but as the day wore on, and she got something of an antsy look on her face to go with it, he started doubting that was the case.

So what was it?

"I've got somethin' I want ta tell ya, Heiji. It's important." For a second, he was so lost in thought he'd barely even noticed that she'd let go of his wrist, much less that they had come to a halt. As per habit, he found himself scanning his surroundings, only to find that she had lead them to a perfectly pleasant park- one with not many people around, he noted.

Other than Ran and Conan, who were watching the whole thing from behind a tree, pretending that he hadn't noticed them.

Seriously, what was with those two? And not to mention Kazuha on top of that. He had plenty of other things to worry about, he couldn't afford adding their strange behavior on top of that! What was this important thing she had to-?

...say?

It was then that it hit him, like a pile of bricks. In hindsight, he had to wonder how he hadn't picked up on the signs- he must have buried his own feelings much deeper than he had first thought. Crap though... one look at the faint red tint of Kazuha's cheeks, he began to felt them start to bubble upwards again, without warning.

This wasn't good. This definitely wasn't good. No matter how he looked at it, this couldn't be anything else but, of all things, a _confession_.

It sounded silly to dread something he had wanted for so long- or at the very least, for as long as he had actually realized his own feelings, but that was where he found himself. Right now, he wasn't in the position to accept her words, much less make one of his own, so why _now_?

What he wouldn't give for a corpse to fall out of the sky right now. But it seemed as if actively yearning for it was the key to prevent it from happening- if only he'd known that sooner. Because once Kazuha opened her mouth, he knew that there was no escaping from him this.

And god help him, he couldn't help but be happy.

That was the worst part.

"Actually, Heiji, fer a long time now..." Kazuha began, before she shook her head, drawing in another long breath. Clenching her fists, she seemed to gather her resolve, bringing forth her courage.

"I've been in love with ya!"

...actually, he was going to take that back. What was about to happen was the worst part. Because no matter how he put it, regardless of the fact that he was doing this to prevent her from getting hurt worse, there was no way he'd be able to deal with this in a way that would hurt her.

Ah, crap though... he really did want to tell her the truth. That he felt the same way, even if it was only just something he had come to realize not that long ago. It was ironic, really, that things had turned out this way- just when he had given up, she had decided to be the one to give voice to what was hidden in her own heart.

It wasn't fair. To either of them really, but most of all, to Kazuha.

And with Ran and Conan watching too... he couldn't think of worse timing. Still, what had to be done had to be done, and there was no getting around it, no playing dumb this time, or pretending to misunderstand her.

Because there was a world of difference between learning your childhood friend was a murderer, and learning your _boyfriend_ was a murderer. And if those two things were actually one and the same... the pain would be even worse.

He couldn't do that to her.

"So, Heiji-!"

"Sorry, Kazuha." Heiji cut her off, feeling a trace of a familiar mask slipping into place. "Yer important ta me ta be sure, an' I wouldn't have anyone else in the world as my childhood friend, but I don't..."

If there was one thing that he hated the most, it was how easily even _this_ lie came to him.

"I'm not in _love_ with ya, Kazuha." Heiji told her, almost tasting his own lie. "I just think of ya as a friend. Sorry."

As he thought, this really was the worst part. Watching the light go out of her eyes go out all at once, the redness of her cheeks washing out of her face... he wasn't sure how he should feel about the fact that watching her heart break caused him far more regret and pain than stealing the life of another human had ever.

"...eh?"

* * *

"Mind if I ask what the _hell_ you were thinking, Hattori?"

Drawing in a long breath, Heiji braced himself to face the rather justifiable anger of his friend. There was going to be no easy way to wiggle himself out of this, not one that wouldn't place a burden on their friendship- but from the perspective that it would be far less of one than the inevitable reveal would be, it would be easy to handle.

"I don't know what ya mean by that, Kudo." Turning on his heel, Heiji's hand strayed behind his neck, forcing himself to meet Conan's gaze. As he thought, he was furious- and he wasn't the only one. The look that Ran had given him before she had gone to comfort Kazuha had been more than enough to make his blood run cold.

He couldn't blame them, either of them.

"You know _perfectly well_ what I mean, Hattori, don't play dumb." Conan told him, doing nothing to mask the anger in his voice, no matter how ill suited it was for a child of his apparent age. "Is one upping me so important to you that you're willing to break Kazuha-chan's heart for it?"

"Ya've got it wrong, Kudo." Heiji told him, lie after lie pouring out. "I've given it some thought, ya know. After failin' so many times, a guy was bound too. Turns out it was probably fer the best, because when I seriously sat down an' thought about it, it actually turns out that I was completely mistaken."

"...mistaken?" Conan asked, almost looking as if he didn't believe his ears. "I know what I heard, Hattori. All I have to do is just ask one of the those four to send me the file, and-"

"An' what?" Heiji asked, dropping his hand away from his neck, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Give Kazuha false hope? It's true that it's my fault she probably got lead on in the first place, but the truth is that at the end of the day, I got my own feelings mixed up."

"Are you serious, Hattori?" Conan asked. "Do you really expect me to believe that after going so far to try and confess to her, that you actually don't love her?"

"Yeah." Heiji said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "Because it's the truth. Kazuha's important and irreplaceable ta me, but it's not because I love her that way. I just let myself get carried away in that moment, an' never actually stopped ta think fer real about what it really meant."

"...you're _actually_ serious, aren't you?"

"'Fraid so." Heiji said, trying to look rightfully guilty. It wasn't hard, since that was pretty much exactly what he was feeling right now. "I can understand why both ya an' Neechan are angry at me, but it's not like I _meant_ ta hurt Kazuha. She's my childhood friend, she's still important ta me, but wouldn't it just be worse if we got into a relationship when she was the only one serious about it?"

There was a long pause there, as he watched Conan take in his words. As he watched them sink into him, as he watched him accept them, it was all he could do to force himself to keep watching him, knowing that looking away at this point would be too unnatural. Just as he thought, their friendship would survive this.

"...I guess that's true." Conan admitted after a moment. "But I really thought-"

"Yeah, me too." Heiji told him, picking now to look back in Kazuha's direction. It stung, to see her making that kind of face, but for breaking her heart, he deserved this pain and more.

In the end, their friendship, too, would recover from this. It might take some time, but they would go back to the way they always were, as is if nothing had ever happened.

"I gave it a lot of thought this month, an' that's the conclusion that I came ta." Heiji told him, turning to face Conan again. "So it's not like I rejected her just cause I wanted ta be the one ta confess ta her instead, or anythin' like that. Now that I think of it, that whole Big Ben thing might have been my way of tryin' ta avoid everythin'."

"Don't apologize to _me_ , apologize to _Kazuha-chan_ , Hattori." Conan said finally. "I had thought it was strange that you hadn't tried anything during the previous month, but I guess it makes sense now. I sort of wish that you'd told me something, though. Maybe I could have done something to prevent this outcome."

"...yeah, sorry." Heiji said, letting out a long sigh, his shoulders slumping. "I'll apologize ta Kazuha as many time as it takes, but fer the moment, I think it might do us both best if I gave her some distance, if only fer the weekend."

"Then, are you going back to Osaka? You only just got here." Conan asked, blinking a little, still trying to process this turn of events. While it was true that everything added up in light of what he'd been told, he still had a hard time believing that it was true. But of all the things to lie about, there was no reason for Hattori to lie about this, was there?

"I know, I know, but I think it might be fer the best." Heiji told him, turning on his heel again, once more casting a glance in Kazuha's direction. If he'd held out any hope that saying that lie out loud might do anything to help make it a truth, he had been way off base- frankly, it was taking everything in him right now not to just run right over there, and confess everything to her.

Literally, _everything_. Starting with why he couldn't accept her confession, to the Organization, and what he'd done for them- everything. If she hated him instead, maybe she wouldn't have to be in pain from his rejection anymore.

"Besides, I get the feelin' it might be a good idea ta give Neechan some time ta cool off." Heiji told him, finally tearing his gaze away from Kazuha once more. " _Pretty sure_ she wants to straight up murder me right about now."

" _Pretty sure_ you're right, Hattori."


	17. Stranger

**AN** : Hey everyone, here's the next chapter! I don't have that much to say this time around, other than that I really enjoyed writing this one, and that there are some pretty exciting developments to come! As always, thanks for reading, and leave a review on your way out if you could be so kind!

Until next time!

* * *

 **Black Echo**

 **Chapter Seventeen**

 **Stranger**

* * *

To say that this wasn't the result that she had expected would be an understatement. If she knew it would have ended like this, she wouldn't have been so quick to encourage Kazuha before. To be honest, even now, it still didn't feel like reality.

But reality it was- and the reality was that Kazuha had been sobbing into her arms not even that long ago, and while it had evoked a deep feeling of compassion in her for her friend, it had also made her blood _boil_. That someone could dare to make Kazuha cry like this... even if that person was none other than Hattori Heiji himself, she wouldn't forgive them.

So when she had heard from Conan that Heiji had decided to return to Osaka, and was on his way back to the detective agency to collect his bag, she knew she couldn't allow this. He was just going to reject Kazuha like that, and then run away? Conan had said something about him wanting to give her space, but if that was the case, why couldn't he tell her that himself?

What on earth was he thinking? Weren't their feelings mutual? What had all of that been about, all of those times in which he'd tried to confess to Kazuha in the past? Had he just been playing around? She didn't want to think that Heiji was that kind of person, but it would seem that she'd misjudged him.

Conan tried to offer an explanation, but she wasn't hearing it. If there was one, then she wanted to hear it straight from the source himself. She could have waited, she supposed- in hindsight, perhaps it was a bit cruel of her to leave while Kazuha was in the bathroom, trying to fix her makeup, but she needed to deal with this now, before that guy had a chance to get away. She'd apologize to Kazuha later.

So with orders for Conan to stay behind and wait for Kazuha, and to not give Heiji any kind of warning that she was coming, Ran had taken a shortcut to get back to the detective agency. Her sense of direction might be far from the best, but when it came to this part of town, she knew it like the back of her hand. She'd head him off for sure.

And so she did.

In fact, she caught him by surprise so badly, that he actually dropped his bag from shock. She took some small satisfaction out of the fear that she saw on his face- good, at the very least, he seemed to have some understanding that he had done something wrong here.

...actually in truth, she didn't know if that made it better or _worse_.

Slowly composing himself, Heiji reached down to pick his bag back up, all while not letting her leave his line of vision, almost out of fear that she would try something on him. And to be honest, she was tempted. "N-neechan? Shouldn't ya be with Kazuha right now?"

"I don't want to hear that from the person who made her cry." Ran's tone was sharp, and not the kind that she would like to direct at a friend, but she wasn't about to take it back.

Guilt, clear and vivid, blossomed on his face. So he _did_ know. Swallowing, Heiji opened his mouth to say something, only to take it back, changing his mind. "I didn't mean ta make her cry."

"Then what was that about?" Ran asked, taking a step forward, even as Heiji instinctively took a step back. "Rejecting her like that."

"Listen, Neechan, just because some people fall in love with their childhood friends, doesn't mean _everyone_ does." Heiji told her, forcing himself to not break eye contact with her. It wasn't easy- and it was exactly why he had wanted to avoid this conversation with her, at least in the heat of the moment.

He might have fooled Kudo, but of the two, it was _Ran_ who would be the harder to deceive.

"I just told Kazuha the truth." Heiji said. "I didn't know she felt _that_ strongly about me."

"That's a lie." Ran snapped, taking another step forward. This time, Heiji didn't take a step back, though he damn well wanted to. He had half a mind to make for the window and leave, but he'd had his fill of jumping out of windows for awhile. "You brought her to that village in Shizuoka to confess, right? Kazuha-chan even said that you confessed to her before, on Ebisu Bridge!"

"Like I said before, that was her own misunderstandin'." Heiji told her. His smile was awkward and unnatural, but it didn't need to be perfect right now. "Kazuha's important ta me, but it's just not like that."

"I can't believe that." Ran said, drawing back, her eyes narrowing. "And I can't believe that you can't even own up to what you did, trying to run back to Osaka like this."

"I just thought that Kazuha needed some space, that's all." Heiji told her. "I'm not tryin' ta run away. It's not like she won't know where ta find me."

He'd assumed that Ran would be angry with him, but he'd clearly underestimated by just how _much_. That was how deep her bonds with Kazuha had grown- and in a way, it was almost reassuring. If the time came for him to disappear from her life entirely, at the very least, she would have other friends to fall back on.

Still, if she was this angry at him over something like this, he couldn't even imagine how angry she would be if she learned the _true_ reason he'd rejected Kazuha. Angry enough to not even care that what she was doing right now was twisting the knife even deeper into his gut, he guessed. He couldn't blame her anyways.

"...are you _really_ not in love with Kazuha-chan?" Ran finally asked, her skepticism plain as day.

Drawing in and letting out a long breath, he got the feeling that no matter how many times he spoke this lie, it would never become easier to swallow. He couldn't decide if that was for the best or not. "Yeah. She's important ta me, but I really don't feel that way about her."

"Then, why did you bring her to that lake in Shizuoka?" Ran asked. "I overheard you, you know. You asked the mayor about the scenery, and if it was better than Big Ben."

"...ah, ya heard that, huh?" Heiji asked, a hand straying up to his cheek. "I'll admit that fer awhile, I thought that _maybe_ I was in love with her. Everyone kept sayin' it, yanno, so after that incident on the bridge, I was startin' ta think maybe it was true. But when I actually thought about it, I realized that I was mistaken. She's important ta me, an' I wouldn't want ta see anythin' happen ta her, but I just don't feel that way about her."

"But if I lead Kazuha on because of it, that's my fault." Heiji admitted. "I can't say I blame ya fer bein' angry at me, Neechan, but I really didn't mean ta hurt her."

At least _that_ was the truth.

For a long moment, Ran didn't say anything. Finally, she relaxed somewhat, drawing back a step, slowly drawing in a breath. "...you really?"

"Really." Heiji told her. "Sorry, Neechan."

"I don't think that _sorry_ can cut it in this instance, Hattori-kun." Ran said. "Kazuha-chan really thought you felt the same way."

"...yeah, so I gather now." Heiji said, taking a step forward, and then another, passing by Ran. He half expected her to reach out and stop him, but she made no move to. "That's why I want ta give her some space, ya know? Spend some time with friends, without me around. I'm not leavin' because I'm tryin' ta run away."

"Explain that to Kazuha-chan, not me." Ran said, sparing a glance back towards him. "You could at least tell her that yourself, instead of leaving Conan-kun to do it."

"I guess yer right." Heiji admitted, making for the door while he still had the chance. As much he wanted to hurry up and put his distance between well, _everyone_ really, he still found himself lingering in front of the door. It didn't really feel as if he had said everything that he could in this situation- there must still be something that he needed to say, something that would help smooth over the tension that he had created.

Something other than the truth, of course.

"Neechan, I-"

He didn't get to finish. As if beckoned by his own bad luck, the sound of what had become his most hated ringtone filled his ears.

He knew he should have left the damn phone at home.

...as if that was even an option anymore. He might have convinced them that he was trustworthy for now, but he wasn't stupid enough to entirely trust that things would stay that way. If he didn't answer when they called, they might send people after him- and like hell he wanted _that_.

"Sorry, Neechan, I have ta get this." Trying to compose his voice so as to not let his tone drop too much, Heiji cast what he knew to be a terrible excuse for a smile back towards her. At least in this situation, nobody would question it. "Tell Kazuha I'm sorry."

"Hattori-kun-!" Ran spoke up, pivoting fully on her heel, only to find the door shutting in her face. Narrowing her eyes, she took a moment to draw in a long breath, before she opened it back up, intent on pursing him. He might be done with her, but she wasn't quite done with him just yet- even if she admittedly didn't know what else there was for her to say.

Instead, she found herself stopping in her tracks, her breath, for a moment, catching in her throat.

Though she couldn't make out who it was that he was talking to, nor what it was that he was saying, she could just barely make out the expression on Heiji's face as he rounded the corner, heading away from the agency. It might sound silly to some to say that it was an expression that she had never seen on him before- after all, she had only known him for around half a year now.

And yet...

...who was that?

For a moment, it was almost as if she couldn't recognize him at all.

For a brief moment, she found her thoughts flickering back, to earlier in the afternoon, before any of this had happened. Back to the bathroom, where Kazuha had pulled her aside and expressed her intention of confessing to Heiji today. Back to where she had briefly gotten pulled off topic.

 _"It's just that sometimes..."_

Kazuha hadn't finished that sentence, but now Ran couldn't help but wonder what it was that she had wanted to say.

...and come to think of it- since when was Heiji's phone _black_?

* * *

"Just so ya know, I'm not in the best of moods right now, so whatever it is that ya want, hurry up an' spit it out, old hag."

"Oh my." Vermouth's amused tone did nothing to help his bad mood, nor did the words that followed. "Did things perhaps go badly with that childhood friend of yours?"

"Shut up. How do ya know about that anyways?" Heiji hissed, narrowing his eyes, taking a turn away from the agency that was different from the usual route. The last thing he wanted to do was run into Conan and Kazuha while they were on their way back to the detective agency, though he imagined that Ran had likely instructed the former to keep the latter away for at least a little while longer yet.

He might not be that familiar with Tokyo's streets, but he had memorized any number of ways to get to the detective agency, just in case.

"Did something really happen then?" Vermouth asked, her tone rather bemused. "I was only just making a guess."

Not entirely convinced of that, Heiji merely clicked his tongue, instead letting out a long, exasperated sigh. Honestly, dealing with anyone from the Organization- much less _Vermouth_ \- was really the last thing that he wanted to be doing right now. The urge to just hang up on her was overwhelming- and while he was almost certain she wouldn't report it, he knew she'd just call him back as many times as she needed to.

On his personal phone too, if needed.

"Whatever. Just spit out what it is that ya need me fer anyways." Heiji snapped.

"Very well, since you seem to be in such a sour mood, I'll cut right to the chase, Paikaru." Vermouth told him. "We recently lost contact with one of our codenames."

"Ya think they fled?" Heiji asked, pursing his lips together.

"No, I don't think so." Vermouth told him. "He showed no indication of any such behavior before, at the very least, so we have no reason to suspect that he has. But the fact remains that he's disappeared."

"Anyone I know?" Heiji asked.

"A bit. He does work out of the Kansai area, though in a different prefecture." Vermouth said. "He goes by the codename of Brandy, but his real name is Maeda Katashi. He's responsible for quite a bit of the Organization's finances, and brings that information with him wherever he goes, so we're quite interested in seeing to it that he's found as quickly as possible."

"Yeah, I've met him before." Heiji remarked, a hand straying behind his head, letting out a long sigh. Honestly, the timing couldn't be worse- what would Kazuha think when he wasn't in Osaka when she came back home? He wanted their relationship to go back to normal as soon as possible, and if he pulled something like this...

...well, it couldn't be helped. Saying no wasn't an option.

"He works out of Kyoto, right?" Heiji asked. "I'll start from there. Do ya _really_ think he didn't just turn tail? Seein' as _I'm_ the one yer callin' an' all."

"Currently, we're not under that impression." Vermouth said simply. "But it's unlike him to not remain in contact with us. We're concerned that something might have happened to him. Even Organization members aren't invulnerable to outside circumstances, I'm sure you know."

"More importantly than him, yer worried about the data he carries, right?" Heiji asked.

"With that kind of deductive ability, I'm sure you'll find him in no time." Vermouth said, her tone light, almost playful- which only managed to sour his mood all the more. "Find him, and report to us his whereabouts, as well as anyone he might be with right now."

"An' if he ran?" Heiji asked.

"Do you really need me to answer that question, after all this time?" Vermouth asked.

"...no." Closing his eyes, Heiji drew in and let out a long breath, feeling a familiar switch being flipped in the back of his head. The timing really couldn't be worse, but...

...at the very least, perhaps Paikaru's heartache wouldn't be as raw as that of his own.

"I'll take care of it."

* * *

"Hey, Kazuha-chan-"

That was as far as Ran got before she shut her mouth again, for a moment, reconsidering her question. Now really didn't seem like a good time to ask anything about Heiji- in fact, she had avoided talking to Kazuha about him all day once they had reunited. For her part, once she had calmed down a bit, Kazuha hadn't brought him up again either, other than to gripe over the fact that he had run away from her when she wasn't looking.

But she couldn't deny her curiosity, especially with what Kazuha had tried to say earlier. Perhaps this was something that she was worried about as well?

Since it hadn't stopped bothering her, she might as well take a chance and ask.

"What is it, Ran-chan?" Kazuha asked, tilting her head a little. "Ya've got such a serious expression on yer face."

"Does it really look that way?" Ran asked, blinking. "Well, I suppose I was thinking about something. You don't have to answer me if you don't want to talk about it, but do you know if Hattori-kun changed his phone model recently?"

Ah, sure enough, just bringing up his name had brought a rather sour expression to her face- but it was drowned out by what appeared to be confusion. Shaking her head, Kazuha's brows knit together, wondering what brought on the sudden question. "No, not so far as I know. He was usin' it this mornin' on the train here, an' it was the same one as usual. Why do ya ask?"

To be honest, Heiji was the _last_ thing she wanted to talk about right now, but the sudden question piqued her interest nonetheless.

"No, no reason." Ran began, almost shaking her head- before she stopped herself, letting out a breath. "Actually, when I confronted him earlier, he went to answer his phone. But it seemed to be a different model from usual, so I couldn't help but be curious."

"A different model?" Kazuha asked.

"Yeah." Ran said, nodding her head. "But then again, I did only see it while he was turning the corner, so I might have just made a mistake."

For a moment, Kazuha only frowned, saying nothing. Just as Ran was about to change the topic, figuring she didn't want to discuss anything Heiji related any further, she spoke up again. "When he answered the phone, could ya make out what kind of expression he had on his face?"

"What kind of expression...?" Frowning a little, Ran folded her arms in front of her chest. It wasn't as if it were hard to remember- it stood out so much that it had rather firmly etched itself into her mind. What she was having the problem with was thinking of a way to describe it. "...even though you ask me that..."

"...I guess an expression that didn't suit him?" Ran finally finished. "Cold, I guess."

Strangely enough, it almost looked as if Kazuha understood, vague though she had been. It was enough to make the girl lose herself in her own thoughts, and for the time being, Ran simply let her be. It looked as if she was debating talking to her about something, and she didn't want to rush her, or push her into a conversation she didn't want to have.

"I said it before, but lately, it sometimes feels like I can't tell what Heiji's thinkin' at all." Kazuha said, before pausing, almost seeming to reconsider. Shaking her head, she spoke again. "No, I take that back. It's actually been fer much longer than just awhile. Since around late middle school. It's only just that it's gotten worse again lately."

"Yeah, you said something about that before." Ran said, nodding her head. "About him not telling you about cases, and things like that."

"...this isn't just about cases, is it?" Ran ventured.

"No." Kazuha told her, shaking her head once more. "That's part of it, but..."

"But?" Ran asked.

"I think... I think what ya saw was probably the same expression I do sometimes." Kazuha said after a moment, still looking as if she was almost hesitating to bring up the subject. "That kind of expression that makes him not look like Heiji at all. Like a stranger."

"I wouldn't say-" Ran began, before she cut herself off. In truth, she had thought exactly the same thing herself. If Kazuha herself was the one saying it, she couldn't exactly deny it. "...is this perhaps what you _really_ worrying about, Kazuha-chan?"

"Yeah." Kazuha said, slowly nodding her head. "Sorry, fer not tellin' ya about it earlier. But ya have yer own problems, Ran-chan, what with Kudo-kun an' all, an' I didn't want ya ta waste time worryin' about somethin' that might very well just be my imagination."

"I mean, he always goes back ta the usual Heiji at the end." Kazuha said, a strained smile on her face. "An' it's not like I think he's really doin' anythin' bad, or anythin' like that, but..."

"But?" Ran found herself asking again, softly encouraging her friend.

"...but I worry." Kazuha said. "That he's keepin' somethin' important a secret."

"I'm sure-" Ran began, only to quickly cut herself off, realizing the reason she was about to protest that it probably wasn't anything bad no longer held any water. If Heiji truly held no romantic feelings for Kazuha, then what, exactly, was it that he was keeping to himself?

She couldn't imagine Hattori Heiji as the type to keep secrets, but she couldn't imagine him making that sort of face, or turning down Kazuha that way either. Clearly, her impression of him had been somewhat off.

"What kind of secret?" She finally asked instead.

"I don't know." Kazuha said, shaking her head, a hand straying up to her chest, gripping it hard. There was pain there, much deeper and older than the heartbreak that she had experienced today, Ran could tell. "Just sometimes he gets that kind of expression on his face, an' then he usually won't come back fer awhile. It's just..."

"...I get scared, sometimes."

"That he's doing something dangerous?" Ran asked, tilting her head.

"...that's part of it, but..." Hesitating once more, Kazuha's gaze slipped away from that of her friend's. Though she had resolved to talk about it, she found that now, the words weren't coming out as she wanted them to. It was a hard thing to say, after all.

But she had to say it. She had to talk to someone about it.

"The truth is, Ran-chan, sometimes the thing I'm most afraid of is _Heiji_."

There it was, out in the open.

"Of Hattori-kun?" Ran blinked. "But he..."

"I know." Kazuha said. "Even after today, I know that Heiji doesn't want ta do anythin' ta hurt me, not really. He wouldn't want ta see me get hurt either. I mean, he already tried ta fight off a bunch of narcs fer me, not ta mention that time on the cliff..." Shaking her head, she tried to focus, keep herself from getting off topic. "He'd rather risk himself than see somethin' like that happen. The same goes fer both ya an' Conan-kun too, an' probably Kudo-kun as well, he'd do that sort of thing fer any of us. There's no reason ta be scared _of_ someone like that, just _fer_ 'em."

"It's just..." Kazuha hesitated once more, drawing in a long a breath. "It just feels like the Heiji I know isn't all there is ta him. An' I don't like that. I don't like it at all, Ran-chan."

"And what you're afraid of is the part you don't know?" Ran asked.

"Yeah." Kazuha said. "That's it exactly."

Drawing in a long breath, Ran leaned back. To be honest, what Kazuha had told her was heavier than she had been expecting, but she wasn't about to back away from the topic just because of that. Not when her friend was obviously this troubled by it.

She had to wonder if Heiji had noticed this much himself- and strangely, she felt as if she already knew the answer to that. Perhaps that was part of why he had chosen to respond to her as he had today, she thought to herself- both because of the fact that he could sense this, and...

...and whatever it was that he was keeping secret. When she thought about it like that, it actually made a lot more sense than Heiji being mistaken about his own feelings. He could be pretty dense about that sort of thing, but when he finally came to realize them, she didn't think that he could end up with a mistaken result.

In that case, was there some reason why he had suddenly changed his mind, and decided that he couldn't pursue a relationship with Kazuha after all? But why? No matter how she turned it over in her head, the only reason she could think of was that Heiji was somehow trying to protect her.

...but protect her from _what_?

Well, racking her brain right now wouldn't do any good. What she needed to do now was to comfort Kazuha as best she could. She had trusted her with something that she had been keeping buried deep in her heart, after all, so she had to respond in kind.

"Thank you for telling me this, Kazuha-chan." Ran said, placing her hands on Kazuha's shoulders. "To be honest, I don't really know what to tell you, but at the very least, I think you're right about Hattori-kun. I might be pretty angry at him right now, but I really don't think he's the type who wants to see you hurt. If he's keeping something from you, I really _do_ think he has good reason."

"And I'm sure he'll tell you about it someday." To be honest, she didn't know if that was true or not- if he'd been keeping this secret since middle school, there was a chance he might never say it. "And I'm sure there's no part of Hattori-kun that you actually need to be afraid of."

"...yer probably right." Kazuha said, finally cracking a hint of a smile. "If anythin' I should be angry at him right now."

"That's more like it." Ran said, giving her a firm nod of her head. "When you get back to Osaka tomorrow, you should give him a proper piece of your mind!"

"Of that, ya can be sure of!" Kazuha said, pounding her fist against her heart, before pausing. "By the way, Ran-chan, the phone that ya saw Heiji usin'... what kind of phone was it?"

"Why do you ask?" Ran asked, blinking.

"Just in case I see him usin' it myself." Kazuha told her. "I'll confront him fer sure about it if I do!"

"I see." Nodding her head, Ran put a finger to her chin, recalling the item in question. "If I recall, it was a smartphone. A black one."

* * *

Eavesdropping had not been his intention.

He'd only just gotten up to get a glass of water, when he had caught the sound of Ran and Kazuha's voices coming from her room. Wondering what they were still doing up at this late hour, he had given into his curiosity, and wandered a bit closer.

He almost wished he hadn't, because what he heard made his stomach drop.

 _"If I recall, it was a smartphone. A black one."_

That in itself was no cause for alarm. He wasn't so paranoid that he had entirely come to associate the color black with the Organization... in most cases, at least. It was only when it became clear to him that the one that they were discussing was _Heiji_ , that his gut began to twist, and he found himself pressing his body closer to the door, in hopes of gleaning more context.

Sadly, it would seem that there would be nothing further to come. Drawing away from the door, Conan hesitated for a long moment, before he stepped back completely, keeping his footsteps quiet so they wouldn't become aware he was lurking there. What exactly was it that they were talking about? What was this about Heiji and a black cellphone?

Without asking them directly, he would have no way of knowing. For a moment, he considered doing just that, his hand reaching out for the door.

But he stopped himself.

It was too late, he told himself. They would only fuss at him not being in bed if he disturbed them at this hour, and he could just as easily ask about it in the morning. It didn't seem to be something that Ran would hide from him at any rate. Swallowing, Conan took another quiet step back, drawing in a long breath, resolving himself to do just that.

Though he imagined he wasn't going to get much sleep tonight, not after hearing that.

A black cellphone? Heiji? From the sound of it, they were talking about it as if he owned one. Heiji's cellphone wasn't black though- if he recalled, Heiji's phone was a light blue.

And from the sound of it, Kazuha had no idea this phone existed. More than it's color, that was what troubled him the most. For what reason would Heiji even need a secret phone, one whose existence he kept even from his own childhood friend?

It was the fact that he could think of at least _one_ reason that was the cause of his twisting gut.

Staggering backwards a step, Conan forced himself to draw in a long breath, steadying his thoughts. Half of him wanted to deny it, but if something like that was really true... then it might even explain why he had rejected Kazuha today, and why he had stopped pursuing her entirely. If he really had some kind of connection to the Organization...

No, no. Something about that wasn't right. If that theory really was true, would there have really been any reason for him to reject her? From what little he knew about him, _that guy_ didn't seem as if he was the type to care about other people's feelings, and it would have raised less flags for sure to simply accept the confession.

Maybe Ran had just seen wrong? Or perhaps he had even heard wrong?

Still... while there was a chance that could be true, at the same time, this piece of information was one that he found too hard to bury underneath denial. The fact that he felt the need to in the first place... as a detective, his instincts were telling him that there was perhaps something actually there.

Something that he didn't want to see.

But the thought that out of all people, _Hattori_ could be...

It was crazy. Unreasonable. There were too many inconsistencies in his behavior for something like that to actually be true.

Drawing in another long breath, he almost choked on it when his own cellphone began to vibrate in his pocket. For a moment, he almost wondered if the call was from Ran given the timing, hurriedly fishing it out, a slight panic in his thoughts as he realized that he'd left the voice changing bow tie by his pillow.

But it wasn't from Ran. It was from...

"Subaru-san? What are you doing calling so late?"

"You'll have to forgive me for that." As usual, he couldn't tell much from Subaru's tone alone- as expected of someone who had once infiltrated the Organization, he controlled it well. "Had you not answered, I would have simply left a message. But I thought that you should know that we've come across some vital information in regards to Paikaru."

"Viral information?" Conan asked, briefly glancing towards Ran's room, before putting some distance between himself and it. If he was calling him this late at night, then whatever information he might have, there was no doubt it was important.

"Yes." Subaru said simply. "From a former member."

"A former member?" Conan asked, perking right up. If he'd had any trace of lingering sleepiness, then it was gone now. "Really, Subaru-san?"

"Well, to be more accurate, they haven't actually been involved with the Organization for at least eighteen years now." Subaru told him. "We've been trying to contact this person ever since we arrived in Japan, but it would seem that the chief of police in the prefecture that she's imprisoned in didn't take kindly to us asking to visit her without any reason."

Something about that tugged at him, but he put it aside for now. "Imprisoned?" He asked instead.

"Yes." Subaru said. "She was arrested for mass murder eighteen years ago, alongside a partner. While the partner killed himself in his own cell not long after his arrest, that woman remains locked away even to this day."

"But if she's been imprisoned for that long, wouldn't the Organization have taken care of her already?" Conan asked, a hint of doubt in his voice. It wasn't as if he didn't trust what Subaru was saying, but it seemed a bit unusual for them. "And mass murder?"

"As I said, she's a former member." Subaru said. "Her victims were mainly people related to the Organization. It seems as if she planned to kill as many who knew her as possible and escape with her partner, but as you can see, things didn't work out quite as she planned. As for why the Organization hasn't gone after her yet..."

"She hasn't said anything?" Conan ventured. "And if she was killing members who knew her, it's almost as if she took care of her own cleanup."

"Precisely." Subaru said. "As it stands, it doesn't seem as if the Organization considers her to be very high priority, at least not to the extent where they want to try and deal with the hassle of infiltrating a prison in order to get to her."

"But if she's been locked away for eighteen years, what kind of information could she possibly have?" Conan asked, fighting the urge to pace. "You said she knew something about Paikaru."

"Most likely." Subaru told him. "Back when I was still infiltrating them, I heard a particular rumor once. That before she decided to flee, it would seem that she was a candidate for receiving a codename."

"Paikaru, right?" Conan asked. "In other words, you think she might know something about the one who holds that codename now."

"That would be correct." Subaru told him. "Naturally, I can't go myself, but if you're interested, I've made arrangements so that James can take you with him. Normally we'd leave this sort of task to Jodie, but..."

"...that's no longer possible." Subaru finished. "So? Are you interested, boy? If we're lucky, we just might be able to get a lead."

"That's-" Half ready to reply yes, Conan instead found himself stopping short, brows furrowing together. In the back of his mind, he could almost hear the voice that was telling him not to go- that he would regret it if he did. Come to think of it, it had probably been with him all along- ever since he had first heard the codename in question.

But that, he thought, was exactly _why_ he needed to go.

"I just have one question, Subaru-san." Conan finally spoke again, banishing away his own hesitation. Whatever came of this, he had to resolve himself to face it head on- even if the result was almost more than he could bear.

Even if it was the worst possible one.

"Oh? What would that be?"

"The prison you mentioned. Which prefecture is it in? You didn't mention it before." Conan asked, fighting back the dreadful feeling that he already knew the answer.

"Osaka." Subaru merely replied. If the answer had any meaning to him, he was hiding it well.

Drawing in a long breath, Conan felt his grip on his phone tighten. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to steady his pounding heart, to give the man a reply.

"I'll go."


End file.
